P1.7-B smuggled cigarettes seized at private Cebu port
Suspected smuggled cigarettes worth over P1.7 billion, concealed in 24 containers from Cebu, were seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and other government agencies.
The BOC, National Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) conducted the operation after the NBI provided intelligence information.
According to the BOC, the cigarettes were misdeclared as consumer goods aboard the vessel ASC Big Boy at Pier 7, a private port in Cebu, before being transferred to Manila on the same day, June 19.
During the operation, authorities accounted for all 24 containers: 16 were located at a private shipping facility in Tondo, Manila; four were found aboard the vessel ASC Big Boy; and four had already been dispatched to various warehouses. Three of the dispatched containers were successfully retrieved, while efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining container.
No tax stamps
Based on validation by the BIR, cigarettes from 23 containers had no required tax stamps, involving about 29,000 master cases worth P1,716,000.
BOC spokesperson Chris Bendijo also said the NBI has requested closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage related to the missing container.
According to BOC Deputy Commissioner Emmanuel Luis Licup, the cigarettes were reportedly manufactured in China and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Licup said the seized cigarettes will not reach the market and will be destroyed as he noted their potential risk to public health.
