The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Saturday said that four individuals were convicted in two separate smuggling cases before the Regional Trial Court of Manila.

In the first case, the court convicted an individual who used YJC International Corporation as a consignee-for-hire in the unlawful importation of two 40-foot containers from China falsely declared to contain plastic products that arrived on 3 January 2021.

Customs authorities discovered 1,599 cartons of cigarettes concealed among the declared goods without the required import commodity clearances.

The accused was sentenced to an indeterminate penalty of twelve years and one day to fifteen years and one day of imprisonment for each count.

In a separate case, the President, Vice President, and Corporate Secretary of ADNFinest Marketing Corporation were convicted for their participation in the unlawful importation of motor vehicles from Dubai, United Arab Emirates that arrived on 27 May 2021.

Although the shipment was declared to contain only two vehicles, Customs examination uncovered an undeclared 2020 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 98 unmanifested used tires. The prosecution likewise established that the company had no Certificate of Authority to Import motor vehicles.

The three corporate officers were each sentenced to an indeterminate penalty of six years and one day to ten years and one day of imprisonment.

The BOC filed criminal charges for both cases in 2021, the same year the unlawful importations transpired, reflecting its prompt and decisive response against customs violations.