BoC seizes van after agents found rifle parts among contents

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Bureau of Customs in Cebu has withheld the release of a 40-footer van declared as containing used household items after Customs agents found Armalite rifle components during a random inspection Thursday last week.

Cebu Customs District Collector Ronnie Silvestre said on Wednesday that the shipment was consigned to Renato R. Ramos of 1513 J Rizal St. Barangay (village) Banilad, Mandaue City. The shipment came from Oakland, Alameda in California and arrived at the Cebu International Port on November 3 on board Cebu Trader, a vessel of the NYK Line.

Silvestre said the shipment was scheduled for release on November 10.

But when Andre Catre and Jeffrey Alindogan, both special agents of the Cebu Customs Enforcement and Security Service, conducted the random inspection on Thursday they found parts of a rifle such as front and rear sight components and trigger, among others.

Upon receiving the initial report, Silvestre directed that the shipment be withheld, pending complete inspection to determine the volume of gun parts that were hidden among the used household items.

He also noted that the bringing in the gun parts would violate Section 1, Paragraph A of the Tariff Customs Code.