The Bureau of Customs Port of Limay has intercepted smuggled cigarettes in master cases bearing the “Mighty” and “Two Moon” cigarette brands and Premium Vietnam Rice loaded onto LCT Yellow River on Wednesday in Orion, Bataan.
Customs led the composite team from Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the arrest.
Based on Customs reports, the importation was unloaded from a mother ship originating from Vietnam and loaded onto LCT Yellow River.
The importation, consigned to Asia Pacific Rice Trading Corporation, was accompanied with a fake Statement of Settlement of Duties and Taxes (SSDT) for the rice, and a lack of tax seal for the cigarettes.
LCT Yellow River also partially unloaded onto several trailer trucks, which were seized in various checkpoints, and in the premises of Orion Dockyard, Orion, Bataan.
The crew of LCT Yellow River and the various trucks with about 50 individuals are now subjected to inquest proceedings on charges in violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and other laws.
Follow-up operations and investigations are ongoing on the supposed delivery addresses of the seized items.
As the overall trade environment gradually recovers from the COVID-19, the Bureau of Customs remains committed in its campaign against smuggling.