The Bureau of Customs has destroyed smuggled cigarettes worth more than P79-million and 4.28 tons of cosmetics and food products that were declared unsafe for human consumption.
Port of NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan said the condemnation of unregistered and hazardous cosmetics and food products in Trece Martires, Cavite, last Monday was part of the agency’s border protection initiatives to protect the public.
She said the items were destroyed to ensure that those would not be sold or made available in the market.
Port of NAIA has already condemned 371.42 tons of unregistered and hazardous goods since January this year.
Talusan said her port would continue its vigilance against the influx of dangerous drugs, anti-social goods and hazardous substances.
In Pampanga, officials of the Port of Batangas led the destruction of smuggled shipments of cigarettes worth P79.51-million on Dec. 5, 6 and 8 at the Greenleaf 888 Waste Disposal facility in Barangay Mitla in Porac town.
Batangas district collector lawyer Rhea Gregorio said the shipments, which arrived from China on Oct. 12, were declared as laptop bags, a clear case of technical smuggling. She said the shipments were placed under alert on Oct. 13 based on derogatory information received by the port.