The Bureau of Customs seized illegally imported cigarettes worth P18.5 million at the Manila International Container Port.
“Confiscated were 914 cartons of cigarette brands Jackpot, Fortune, John, Marvels and U2 which were declared as industrial fur texture,” Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said.
The shipment came from China which arrived at the MICP on April 4, Lapeña said.
“The cargoes were discovered by the X-ray Inspection Project [XIP] team prompting to place it under alert order,” he said.
He said the shipment was consigned to Marid Industrial Marketing located at 2090 Batangas Line, Paco, Manila.
“It will undergo forfeiture proceedings for violation of Section 1400 or the Misdeclaration, Misclassification, and Undervaluation in Goods Declaration of Republic Act No. 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act [CMTA],” Lapeña added.
The BoC chief said the accreditation of the importer and customs broker would be revoked or suspended because of the misdeclaration of the shipment.