A JOINT operation by the Bureau of Customs (BOC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) intercepted 23 containers of smuggled cigarettes worth an estimated P1.7 billion, marking one of the largest anti-smuggling seizures this year.
Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said on Wednesday that the operation was conducted on June 22 following intelligence information provided by the NBI.
"Immediately, I ordered enforcement action, triggering a coordinated inspection and interdiction effort involving several government agencies," added Nepomuceno.
The raiding team accounted for all 24 containers linked to the shipment during the operation. Sixteen containers were located at a private shipping facility in Tondo, Manila, while four were found aboard the vessel ASC Big Boy.
Four containers had already been dispatched to different warehouses before the authorities moved in. Three of the dispatched containers were recovered, while efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining container.
The vessel ASC Big Boy has since been placed under the custody of the Coast Guard.
Initial inspection showed that 23 containers contained cigarettes without the required tax stamps, a violation confirmed by the BIR.
Authorities estimated the shipment contained around 29,900 master cases of cigarettes with a total value of P1.716 billion.
Investigators found that the cargo had been misdeclared as consumer goods before being loaded at Pier 7 in Cebu and transported to a private wharf in Tondo.
The shipment may have violated provisions of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act on misdeclaration and unlawful importation, as well as the National Internal Revenue Code, covering excisable goods without payment of taxes and without proper tax stamps.
Authorities are conducting a full inventory and valuation of the seized goods as investigations and case build-up continue against those behind the smuggling operation.
