P1.7-B smuggled cigarettes seized

A joint law enforcement operation intercepted 23 containers of smuggled cigarettes valued at an estimated P1.7 billion at a private shipping facility on Monday, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) disclosed Tuesday.

The BoC, National Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Philippine Coast Guard conducted the raid following an intelligence report from the NBI.

Authorities tracked a total of 24 containers connected to the shipment. Sixteen were discovered at a private wharf in Tondo, Manila, and four were found aboard the cargo vessel ASC Big Boy, which is now in the custody of the Coast Guard.

The remaining four containers had already been dispatched to local warehouses; authorities successfully recovered three of them and are searching for the final container.

A preliminary inspection by internal revenue officials confirmed that 23 of the containers held approximately 29,900 master cases of cigarettes lacking required government tax stamps.

Investigators found that the cargo had been misdeclared as consumer goods and loaded onto the ASC Big Boy at Pier 7, a private wharf in Cebu, before being transported to a Manila wharf managed by the same operator.

The shipment violates the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act’s provisions on the misdeclaration of goods and unlawful importation, as well as National Internal Revenue Code regulations governing untaxed excisable goods, officials said.

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno credited the NBI for the timely intelligence and praised the Coast Guard and internal revenue agents for their logistical support during the seizure.

A full inventory and valuation of the seized merchandise are underway as state agencies prepare criminal filings against the operators.