TWO importers and a professional customs broker have been hauled by the Bureau of Customs’ Action Team Against Smugglers (BATAS) for the foiled smuggling of cigarettes and assorted goods at the ports of Cagayan de Oro and Subic.
In a statement on Monday, April 18, 2022, the BOC said the first case involves ‘UHE Trading’ after its misdeclared shipment of 950 cartons of cigarettes from China worth P32.2 million last January 18, 2022.
The second case is against Jack Electronic Metal Inc. and its licensed customs broker for the alleged misdeclaration and unlawful importation of assorted goods without the necessary import permit.
The shipment, valued at P78,692.92, came from the United States, arrived at the Port of Subic on September 27, 2021.
Aside from violating RA 10863 (Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, CMTA), the respondents are charged for violating RA 6969, otherwise known as the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990; DENR Administrative Order 2013-22; and the Revised Penal Code, as amended.
Since January 2022, the BOC has filed 22 criminal cases involving 65 individuals and licensed customs brokers before the DOJ and administrative cases against 6 licensed customs brokers before the Professional Regulation Commission.