Government agents assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport seized more smuggled shipment of Chinese medicines worth P700,000.
Customs-NAIA port collector Carmelita Talusan said the contraband from Fujian, China was misdeclared as “vitamin pills” and consigned to a male individual from Muntinlupa City.
“Upon physical examination of the goods, it was found that the shipment contained (180 kilos) Chinese medicines illegally imported and without the necessary License to Operate and Certificate of Product Registration from the Food and Drugs Administration,” she said.
Early this month, the FDA released an advisory and cautioned the public against the purchase and use of unregistered Chinese medicines.
The shipment will be subjected to seizure and forfeiture proceedings for violation of Section 1400 (Misdeclaration) in relation to Section 117 (Regulated Goods) and Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
Another shipment of smuggled Chinese medicines was also intercepted by Customs agents at a warehouse near NAIA on May 8. The shipment of four kilos of Chinese medicines from Taiwan was sent through air cargo in one of the warehouses in Pasay City and was also misdeclared as 15 US dollar worth “Plastic Boxes”.
The imported drugs is consigned to a Filipino male individual with an address located in Tondo, Manila.
“This is what we are saying another scheme in evading the required License to Operate and Certificate of Product Registration from the Food and Drugs Administration on the importation of medicines,” said Talusan.
She commended her team for the latest seizure. She acknowledged the effort of Customs examiners, and the men and women from X-ray Inspection Project (XIP), Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), and Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF) through continuous profiling of shipments to unveil illegal modus in circumventing customs and related laws.
Late last month, Talusan’s team also intercepted three shipments of the same drugs at DHL warehouse near NAIA.
The shipments, concealed in three separate packages to three different consignees with same shipper address, were misdeclared by the importer as “Resin Handicraft,” a clear case of technical smuggling.
Talusan stated that the bureau will continue to perform its job in complying with the directives of Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero in strengthening border protection.
