A successful joint anti-smuggling operation by the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) led in the seizure of 23 containers carrying about P1.7 billion worth of illegal cigarettes.
The nationwide operation was launched after the NBI provided critical intelligence data directly to the BOC. Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno immediately deployed law enforcement teams to track the smuggled goods that were moved using private ports.
Investigators said that there were a total of 24 containers, sixteen of which were located at a private shipping facility in Tondo, Manila, four were found aboard the vessel ASC Big Boy, and another four were dispatched to various warehouses. Three of the dispatched containers were successfully retrieved, while the remaining container is still being located by BOC tracker teams.
Nepomuceno said the syndicate behind the shipment misdeclared it as ordinary consumer goods to evade strict border detection systems. The containers were loaded onto ASC Big Boy at a private wharf in Cebu before being transported directly to another private wharf in Tondo, Manila operated by the very same company.
A joint inspection team confirmed that the 23 recovered containers held approximately 29,900 master cases of cigarettes. BIR officials also examined the massive haul and verified that the packages completely lacked the required government excise tax stamps.
The government task force is currently conducting a full inventory to finalize the legal case build-up against the vessel operators and port handlers.
The suspects behind the foiled smuggling operation may be charged with violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (Republic Act No. 10863), particularly on misdeclaration of goods (Section 1400) and unlawful importation (Section 1401), as well as provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code (Republic Act No. 8424), as amended, specifically on the possession and removal of excisable goods without payment of excise tax and without the required tax stamps (Sections 263 and 265).