P18-M in smuggled cigarettes, agricultural products seized in Manila, Mindanao
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2019 06:47:50 +0000
SOME P18 million worth of smuggled cigarettes and agricultural products have been seized by the Bureau of Customs (BoC) in two operations in Mindanao and Manila.
In a report submitted to Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero on Thursday, Zamboanga District Collector Segundo Sigmundfeud Barte, said the 2,125 reams of smuggled cigarettes worth P1.2 million were seized by joint operatives of the BoC and Joint Task Force Zamboanga on board three passenger vessels from Jolo, Sulu.
The seized cigarettes were turned over to the BoC for the issuance of a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) for violation of Executive Order 245, the Amended Rules and Regulations Governing the Exportation and Importation of Leaf Tobacco and Tobacco Products and Section 117 of RA 10863 otherwise known as Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
Records showed that from April to June this year, over P60 million worth of smuggled cigarettes have been confiscated by the BoC.
The contraband will be destroyed as part of the pre-condemnation procedure considering that the Port of Zamboanga lacks manpower and available storage area.
Over at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), four shipments of misdeclared agricultural products from China worth at least P15.5 million were also ordered seized on Thursday.
The misdeclared shipments arrived at the MICP on separate dates in June and were issued corresponding alert orders after examination revealed that there were discrepancies in the weight and declared value of the shipments.
Based on x-ray and physical inspection, one of the four shipments was declared as 3,300 boxes of fresh apples but the containers were actually found to contain red onions.
Two of the shipments were declared as red beans but were found to contain 5,300 sacks of refined sugar. Another shipment was declared as 1,058 packages of t-shirts but actually contained 200 sacks of rice, 1,300 packages of other food products, 30 packages of medicine and 425 packages of other non-perishable items.
The seized sacks of onions were estimated to be worth P1.8 million at market price, while the seized sacks of refined sugar is estimated to be worth P9.6 million. The sacks of rice and other merchandise were valued at P4.1 million. WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
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