CUSTOMS BUREAU SEIZES P36- M CONTRABAND

THE Bureau of Customs ( BoC) has foiled an attempt to smuggle into the country more than P36 million worth of fake cigarettes, agricultural products and used clothing from China. Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena disclosed on Thursday that the hot goods that arrived at the Manila International Container Port ( MICP) on separate occasions were declared as non- woven interlining and women interlining, industrial fur, fresh apple and household wares. But Customs inspectors found almost 2,000 cartons of various brands of fake cigarettes, apples and other agricultural products and used clothing or ukay- ukay: 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. Lapena said the accreditation of the consignees-Trixcean Trading, Marid Industrial Marketing, Khalevskies Enterprises, Ashton & Ilyze Trading and Yohann Rein Trading– would be revoked and as well as that of their signing Customs brokers. The consignees and brokers face charges for violation of 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.” Trixcean and Marid will be penalized for violating Intellectual Property Rights for importing fake cigarettes, Yohann Reid will face charges for violating the Food and Drug Administration Act and Khalevskies and Ashton for violating the Anti- Agricultural Smuggling Act. The Office of the District Collector of the MICP issued a warrant of seizure and detention against the shipments.