BOC seizes P4.8-B smuggled vapes, fake goods in Manila

Manila: An operation led by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) yielded some PHP4.8 billion worth of suspected smuggled items in Manila. In a news release on Monday, BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said the raid led by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) of a warehouse in Binondo district on Sept. 6 yielded smuggled vapes and counterfeit branded items, cosmetics, and general merchandise. 'I am sure that this will be one of the biggest operations by the BOC this year in terms of the value of the goods found. In recent months, we've been monitoring several warehouses for violation of intellectual property rights. As these groups and individuals become more brazen in their attempts to circumvent our laws, the more that our BOC personnel-from top to bottom-will find and prosecute them,' Rubio said. Aside from vapes, BOC-CIIS director Verne Enciso said the various floors of the storage building were found to contain counterfeit signature items bearing bra nds such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Adidas, Nike, and NBA. Also found were school supplies of popular characters such as Hello Kitty, Spiderman, and Disney characters, as well as aerosols, cosmetics, tools, and other general merchandise. The BOC temporarily padlocked and sealed the subject storage areas pending the final inventory of the goods by the assigned Customs examiner. Meanwhile, the warehouse owners and operators were given 15 days from the service of the Letter of Authority, issued by Rubio to submit documents to show that the subject imported goods were legitimately imported and that correct duties and taxes were duly paid pursuant to Section 224 of Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA). Failure to present the proper documents will result in charges for violating Section 117 (regulated importation and exportation) and Section 1400 (misdeclaration in goods declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of the CMTA against the owners and operators of the warehouse. They may also face charges in accordance with Republic Act 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines and Republic Act 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN Law). The Enforcement and Security Service-MICP and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) were also part of the operation. Source: Philippines News agency