P1.7 billion smuggled cigarettes seized

MANILA, Philippines — Smuggled cigarettes valued at P1.7 billion were intercepted recently at the North Harbor in Manila, according to the Bureau of Customs.

The BOC said the joint operation with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) seized 30,800 master cases of illicit cigarettes at the shipping yard of Carlos Gothong Lines Inc.

Cargo vessel ASC BIG BOY had transported 24 shipping containers from Pier 7 in Cebu to another private wharf in Tondo, Manila under the same operator, based on initial investigation.

Of the 24 cargoes, 16 were located at a private shipping facility in Tondo, four on ASC BIG BOY and three dispatched to various warehouses.

Authorities are searching for the remaining shipping container, also dispatched to a warehouse.

The cargo vessel is now in the custody of the Philippine Coast Guard.

The seized cigarettes will be destroyed, the BOC said.

The shipping containers will be sealed and secured in a designated area pending inventory, according to the BIR.

“We will continue to intensify enforcement operations and work closely with the NBI, BOC and other partner agencies to stop the illicit cigarette trade,” BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza said. — Aubrey Rose Inosante