A total of P90 million worth of smuggled sugar and cigarettes were discovered by the Bureau of Customs at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
Spearheaded by BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, the physical examination of the five shipments containing the smuggled sugar and cigarettes was done at the MICP.
On Saturday, the BOC said in a statement that the inspection happened on February 17, which was the first to be led by the newly appointed Customs Chief Commissioner Rubio.
It added that the containers that contained smuggled items arrived between January 5 and February 12 this year. After receiving derogatory information about the shipments, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (MICP) recommended the issuance of alert orders (AOs), three of which were from Hong Kong and two from China.
BOC Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy and Manila International Container Port District Collector Arnoldo Famor were also present during the inspection.
According to Uy, the agency has been "actively monitoring" information about shipments that may contain smuggled goods as part of a stepped-up effort to prevent the entry of contraband and illegal products into the country.
He stated that the subject shipments will face seizure and forfeiture proceedings for violating Section 1113 (Goods Liable for Seizure and Forfeiture) in relation to Section 117 (Regulated Goods) of Republic Act 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), Republic Act 10845, or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, Sugar Regulatory Administration rules and regulations, and National Tabacco Administration rules and regulations.
Similarly, the case records will be immediately referred to the Bureau's Action Team Against Smugglers for case development and the filing of corresponding criminal cases against those responsible for the illegal importation of agricultural and tobacco products in violation of Section 1401 of the CMTA and the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.
