THE Bureau of Customs seized more than P45 million worth of smuggled high-end communication and electronic gadgets and Indian red onions in Tondo, Manila and at the Manila International Container Port.
The confiscated communication and electronic gadgets were seized by BoC in a building in Lakandula Street, Tondo, Manila, while the 11 shipment of fresh red onions were held at the MICP for lack of import permit.
Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said the importers have no corresponding import permits at the Department of Agriculture.
The BoC chief said the seized imported onions were consigned to Mheriban Sales Corporation and Malaya Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
The firms have no valid import permits from the Bureau of Plant and Industry to import onions.
The agency also confiscated expensive cellular phones, laptops, cameras tablets, music players, and other electronic gadgets from an online shop.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Director Neil Estrella said that Kim Store sells smuggled units of Iphone 7 cellular phones, Macbook laptops, Samsung Galaxy S7 series phones, Nexus 6Ps phones, Zenfone 3 Ultra phones, Sony Xperia phones, Canon cameras, tablets and music players, audio accessories, and gadgets for safety and security.
“There are plenty of cases where high-end communication and electronic gadgets are smuggled into the country through misdeclaration schemes, a top form of smuggling used by smugglers to defraud and avoid paying correct duties and taxes to the government,” Estrella said.
“Kim Store is owned by a certain ‘Francis’, a Filipino-Chinese businessman in Binondo, who is engaged in selling smuggled items online,” he said, adding Kim Store failed to present documents for its imported items.
The seized items are now padlocked inside the storehouse of Kim Store in Tondo and tightly guarded by CIIS agents, while the onions will be raised for public auction.
Faeldon said the BOC would always conduct raids in warehouses, storehouses, and depots, to combat smuggling and related crimes, and to put responsible persons behind bars.
