BOC uncovers P36.5M misdeclared goods from China

May 24, 2018

The Bureau of Customs has discovered seven containers with misdeclared agricultural products, ukay-ukay, and cigarettes with an estimated value of P36.5 million at the Manila International Container Port.

The containers from China which arrived on separate dates at MICP were declared to contain non-woven interlining and women interlining, industrial fur, fresh apple, and household ware, said Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena.

“However, the actual contents found by the Customs authorities are very different from what was declared. They found inside are 947 cartons of More cigarettes and 53 cartons of Marvels cigarettes, 950 boxes of Mighty cigarettes, boxes of apples mixed with onion, apples mixed with boxes of fresh carrots, and bales of ukay-ukay mixed with food without Food and Drug Administration permit” he said.

The accreditation of the consignees – Trixcean Trading, Marid Industrial Marketing, Khalevskies Enterprises, Ashton & Ilyze Trading, and Yohann Rein Trading will be revoked as well as their signing customs brokers, Lapena added.

“We will be filing cases against the consignees and brokers for violating Section 1400 (Misdeclaration, Misclassification, Undervaluation in Goods Declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act,” the official said.

Moreover, Trixcean and Marid will be penalized for violating Intellectual Property Rights for importing fake cigarettes; Yohann Reid will also face charges for violating the Food and Drug Administration Act; while Khalevskies and Ashton violated the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.

The Office of the District Collector of MICP will issue the warrant of seizure and detention against the shipments.

“I appeal to you, importers and traders to do your business legitimately. Do not fool and short-change the government because in return you are short-changing your fellow Filipinos. I am telling and warning you. I will not stop issuing alert orders and conduct immediate inspection of alerted shipments,” Lapena said. DMS