The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Manila has seized two misdeclared 40-footer containers from China that contained cigarettes and fireworks worth P8.98 million.
One forty-footer, consigned to Paragon Platinum International Trading Corporation (PPITC), arrived on February 21 and was declared as holding brackets, but customs authorities found boxes of cigarettes instead.
PPITC’s office is located at unit 108, The Centennial Bldg., 375 Escolta St., Binondo Manila, while the shipment’s customs broker was identified as Bernandine Miranda of 3034 Bagac St., Manuguit, Tondo, Manila.
“The hidden cigarettes were discovered by the initiative of the Office of the District Collector through profiling,” Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said in a statement.
An alert order was issued by Port of Manila district collector Atty. Vener Baquiran to prevent the release of the smuggled cigarettes.
Lapeña said the seized cigarettes were valued at P8.2 million.
The other FEU, consigned to Power Buster Marketing with office address at Baria Compound, Paradahan 1, Tanza, Cavite, was issued an alert on February 27 for alleged misdeclaration.
Legal Service director Atty. Yasser Ismail Abbas had recommended the issuance of the alert order on the shipment, which arrived on December 31, 2017.
“Upon inspection, we discovered boxes of fireworks instead of the declaration which is footwear,” Lapena said.
The fireworks will be turned over to the Philippine National Police-Firearms and Explosives Office for proper disposition while the cigarettes will be destroyed.
The shipments were also issued a warrant of seizure and detention, while the importers will be charged for alleged violation of Section 1400 of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
“These apprehensions are results of the enhanced border protection of the ports and the continued suspension of the green lane,” said Lapeña, who, upon his assumption last year, suspended the green lane facility to prevent contraband from slipping past BOC. The green lane is part of BOC’s selectivity system that profiles shipments and identifies which ones to subject to documentary review and physical inspection, and which ones to release without inspection.
