P66M worth of cigarettes in illegal shipments seized at Davao, CDO ports —Customs

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday said two separate illegal shipments containing P66 million worth of cigarettes combined were confiscated at the Port of Davao and the Port of Cagayan de Oro on Friday.

In a statement, the BOC said the shipment in Davao with 980 master cases of cigarettes worth P26 million was declared as containing plastic cups.

Among the brands of the cigarettes were More, Mighty, D&B and Marvel Cigarettes.

The bureau through the Port of Davao’s Assessment Division, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), as well as the Enforcement and Security Service, seized the illegal shipment.

Upon receiving derogatory information on the contents of the shipment, an alert order was issued by District Collector Erastus Sandino Austria which led to physical examination of the shipment.

A warrant of seizure and detention was immediately issued for possible violation of Executive Order No. 245 and National Tobacco Administration Memorandum Circular No. 03 Series of 2004, among others.

Meanwhile, the Port of Cagayan de Oro, through its CIIS, seized smuggled cigarettes with an estimated value of P40 million at Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) in Tagoloan town.

The shipment, which arrived from China on September 17, was immediately issued with a Pre-Lodgement Control Order.

An alert order was issued against the shipment for violation of National Tobacco Administration (NTA) Memorandum Circular No. 03 Series of 2004 and NTA Board Resolution No. 079-2005.

CIIS Field Station chief Oliver Valliente said that they were alerted to the illegal shipment by Project Crocodile, an information-sharing scheme among the customs administrations of member countries.

On September 9, the Port of CDO also destroyed 18,000 reams of smuggled cigarettes. — Joviland Rita/BM, GMA News