Article by:
Jigger Jerusalem
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) 10 (Northern Mindanao) has warned suspected smugglers anew that they will not get away with their attempts to defraud the government.
In an interview on Friday, BOC-10 district collector, lawyer Elvira Cruz, said the interception and seizure of wrongfully declared cigarettes would not be the end of it as they will continue to conduct operations alongside partner government agencies.
“This will send a strong message to smugglers that the agency is serious in strengthening its border protection and will not tolerate unscrupulous individuals that will attempt to defraud the government of rightful revenues," she said.
On January 20, the BOC-10 seized cigarette contraband estimated to be worth PHP8 million at the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) sub-port in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
The manifest stated that "used furniture" was inside the containers.
This was the agency’s second operation that led to the confiscation of imported cigarettes this month.
Oliver Valiente, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) chief for Northern Mindanao, said they received information early this month that smuggled items are to arrive at the MCT.
He said the CIIS acted on the tip by requesting Cruz to issue a pre-lodgement control order against the shipment for possible violation of Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
A pre-lodgment control order refers to a written order issued by the Customs commissioner, district collector, or other customs officers authorized in writing by the commissioner, before the lodgment of goods declaration or when no goods declaration is lodged, based on grounds stated in Section 5.1 of the Customs Administrative Order 07-2019.
Based on its manifest, the shipment, a container van, arrived in the country from China on January 14 and was consigned to UHE Trading.
During the physical examination conducted by operatives of the CIIS, Enforcement and Security Service, the K-9 unit of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 10, and Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. representatives, it was discovered that the shipment contained cigarettes branded as “YS”.
The confiscation of imported tobacco products was the second operation conducted by the BOC-10 this year.
On January 6, Customs authorities also seized a container van full of imported cigarettes from China.
According to Cris Angelo Andrade, BOC-10 spokesperson, the cigarettes, bearing the brand name “Titan”, were estimated to be worth PHP8 million, and were also declared as used furniture. It was consigned to a certain Ceri Rey Viola.
“The two container vans, although shipped at different dates, were broth wrongfully declared as used furniture. We are grateful that through the intelligence-sharing of the CIIS and other agencies here and abroad, the Customs uncovered this modus operandi leading to the confiscation of illegally imported goods,” Andrade said in a phone interview Friday afternoon. (PNA)
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