The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday said its operatives recently seized about P4.8 billion worth of suspected smuggled vapes, counterfeit branded items, cosmetics, and general merchandise in Binondo, Manila.
In a news release, the BOC said the September 6 operation was led by its Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP), pursuant to the Letter of Authority (LOA) signed by Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio.
“I am sure that this will be one of the biggest operations by the BOC this year in terms of the value of the goods found. In recent months, we’ve been monitoring several warehouses for violations of intellectual property rights. As these groups and individuals become more brazen in their attempts to circumvent our laws, the more that our BOC personnel—from top to bottom—will find and prosecute them,” said Rubio.
BOC-CIIS Director Verne Enciso said that different floors of the storage building were found to contain possibly smuggled disposable vapes, vape accessories, and branded garments and bags with brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Adidas, Nike, and NBA.
There were also school supplies of popular characters such as Hello Kitty, Spiderman, and Disney characters, as well as aerosols, cosmetics, tools, and other general merchandise.
Pending the final inventory of the goods by the assigned Customs examiner, the BOC said the operations team temporarily padlocked and sealed the subject storage areas.
The BOC said warehouse owners and operators were given 15 days from the service of the LOA to submit documents to show that the subject imported goods were legitimately imported and that correct duties and taxes were duly paid pursuant to Section 224 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
The Customs said that if the warehouse owners and operators fail to present the proper documents, they can face charges for violating Section 117 (regulated importation and exportation) and Section 1400 (misdeclaration in goods declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of the CMTA.
They will also face charges in accordance with Republic Act 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, and Republic Act 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN Law), it said.
“We will continue to strengthen our efforts and work closely with local government units and enforcement agencies to protect our nation’s borders and ensure fair commerce,” said Rubio. — VBL, GMA Integrated News
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