Customs to crack down on Chinatown’s jewelry smugglers

After declaring war on "ukay-ukay" stores that peddle smuggled used clothes, the Bureau of Customs is now setting its sights on stores selling smuggled jewelry.

According to Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina, they will soon visit jewelry stores in Binondo and Sta. Cruz districts in Manila.

"Our teams will visit Binondo. At present, the Bureau of Customs still has no record of duties being paid for watches and other pieces of jewelry," Lina told the Manila Overseas Press Club during its "Customs’ Night" last Thursday at the Dusit Hotel Nikko in Makati City.

"We will be running after these smugglers," he added.

Lina said Customs inspectors will be tasked to verify whether the jewelry sold in each store is imported or not.

If the items are imported, Lina said the inspectors will then have to verify if the merchandise is properly documented with corresponding payment of correct duties.

Lina also issued a stern warning against smugglers of used clothing which usually find its way into "ukay-ukay" stores.

"Imported used clothes are definitely banned items," Lina said.

"However there are still many Filipinos who try to sneak these items into the country. They should pay taxes and duties for the items," he said.

Lina noted some affluent Filipinos often buy designer off-season clothes abroad and later declare them as used clothing upon their return in an attempt to avoid paying the correct duties.

Customs Deputy Commissioner Celso Templo earlier requested Lina to allow agents of the Customs Intelligence and Enforcement Group (IEG) to check out "ukay-ukay" stores for import documents of their second-hand clothes.

"This is one way of discouraging the smuggling of banned used clothing, aside from filing smuggling cases against those involved," Templo said.

"We will unmask the identities of those behind the smuggling of banned used clothing," he added.

IEG agents over the weekend seized a "mountain" of smuggled used clothing at Subic Free Port.

Templo said those behind the foiled smuggling at Subic were also those behind the smuggling of some P100 million worth of "ukay-ukay" clothes seized by IEG agents from a warehouse in Parañaque last January.