The Bureau of Customs (BOC) during the first six weeks of 2022 confiscated P769.7 million worth of smuggled items following 33 search and seizure operations, the Department of Finance (DOF) said on Monday.
The DOF said that from Jan. 1 to Feb. 11, the country’s second-biggest revenue agency seized smuggled vehicles and accessories worth P420 million, citing the latest preliminary BOC data reported by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerero to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III recently.
During the same period, the BOC caught P221.4 million in illicit cigarettes and other tobacco products; P46 million in illegal drugs; P44.8 million in smuggled currencies; P30 million in imported medical supplies and personal protective equipment, which did not pay duties and taxes; P6 million in smuggled agricultural goods; as well as P1.5 million worth of illicit general merchandise, firearms, wildlife and other products.
As part of its antismuggling campaign, the BOC also haled into court 30 alleged smugglers through 11 criminal charges it filed before the Department of Justice (DOF) during the first six weeks of this year. The BOC also slapped three administrative cases against erring customs brokers before the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), the DOF added.
“The BOC has also completed the inspection and investigation of customs warehouses. From the total of 138 customs bonded warehouses (CBWs) and 245 members of customs common bonded warehouses (CCBWs), 75 were issued with orders of closure as of Feb. 11,” the DOF quoted Guerrero as telling Dominguez.
Last month, Dominguez and Guerrero jointly issued the first customs administrative order for 2022, which tightened the BOC’s watch over CBWs to ensure that these facilities complied with warehousing laws and adhered to international best practices, as mandated under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA). Ben O. de Vera
CBWs are BOC-authorized or licensed warehouses engaged in importing, receiving and storing goods, raw materials and other items sans payment of import duties and other taxes under bond. The products stored in CBWs included those which will be manufactured into finished goods for export, or those to be stored under the account of an accredited exporter-client.
In 2021, haled into court more alleged smugglers and conniving brokers, with a total of 103 criminal cases filed before the DOJ. The majority of last year’s cases involved suspected cigarette smugglers as illicit tobacco trade flourished amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
Last January, the BOC said that its revenue collection monitoring group and legal service filed more cases under the bureau’s action team against smugglers (Batas) program last year, in a bid to deter violators of Republic Act (RA) No. 10863 or the CMTA, and other related laws.
Last year, 309 unscrupulous traders had been tagged as respondents to violations of various customs laws, rules and regulations.
In relation to the complaints filed against importers, 63 administrative cases were lodged before the PRC against licenced customs brokers who may have been in cahoots.
The BOC had said that last year’s cases involved unlawful cigarette imports worth P897.1 million; P293.9 million in smuggled agricultural products; and P253.2 million in general merchandise. Other Batas cases were against shipments of smuggled medicines valued at P57.1 million; motor vehicles worth P49.1 million; as well as P63.1-million worth of other commodities.
“Criminal cases due to unlawful removal and disarming of electronic customs seals were also filed against erring individuals,” the BOC had said.