The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized two containers of misdeclared stainless steel angle bars from China at the Port of Manila (POM).
BOC Intelligence Group deputy commissioner Raniel T. Ramiro, in a statement, said the shipment, which was declared as flat bars and steel sheets by its consignee, Liuzhiga International Trading, arrived at the Port of Manila on October 19, 2019.
IG-Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) then received a report from a reliable source on October 22 that a certain shipment might have violated Customs laws through gross misdeclaration in quality-description of goods, Ramiro said.
Acting on the report, IG-CIIS coordinated with Port of Manila district collector Arsenia Ilagan on October 28 on conducting a spot check/inspection of the shipment to verify and validate the report. Port of Manila-CIIS was also directed to monitor the shipment.
During the spot check, customs examiners found stainless steel angle bars and steel sheets as opposed to the declaration made in the entry filed by the consignee.
An alert order was issued on October 29 against the shipment, pursuant to Section 1111 (alert orders) of Republic Act No. 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
A warrant of seizure and detention will also be issued against the shipment for violation of Section of 1400 (Misdeclaration, Misclassification, Undervaluation in Goods Declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture) of the CMTA.
As of press time BOC said it has yet to determine the value of the seized goods.
Meanwhile, BOC is undertaking further investigation before filing appropriate charges against the suspects involved in the smuggling of these goods.
