Cebu Customs: P460M smuggled goods confiscated in 2020

Customs officials in Cebu seized more 1,522 boxes of suspected fake cigarettes shipped from China, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) here announced. | Photo courtesy of BOC – Cebu Port

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Smuggled, misdeclared, undeclared, misclassified and undervalued goods worth a total of P460 million were intercepted at the Port of Cebu for the entire 2020.

The Bureau of Customs in Cebu (BOC-Cebu), in a report dated January 15, 2021, reported that 69 suspicious shipments from abroad were seized in Cebu last year.

“Apprehended in different anti-smuggling operations, these shipments cover tobacco and agricultural products, ukay-ukay (second-hand clothes), motor vehicles and parts, unregistered medicines and foodstuff, general merchandise, and counterfeit products,” BOC-Cebu said.

“These apprehensions are the result of vigilance and close monitoring of shipments, better intelligence, x-ray technology, and coordination with other regulating agencies and the public through confidential reporting,” they added.

The agency also said installation of new electronic equipment such as an x-ray machine in its x-ray facilities, helped authorities detect suspicious packages being sent to Cebu.

In the meantime, BOC-Cebu reiterated its reminders to the public to ensure that the goods they’re receiving from overseas have complied with all government regulations.

“The Port of Cebu has time and again reminded its stakeholders to secure the necessary import permits and clearances, file goods declarations properly, and pay the correct duties and taxes,” they said.

BOC, a bureau under the Department of Finance, is the country’s second-largest tax collection agency.

It has at least 17 ports or districts nationwide, including Cebu which is one of the busiest ports outside Metro Manila.

/bmjo

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