THE Intelligence Group of the Bureau of Customs (BOC-IG), has apprehended over P28.5 billion worth of smuggled goods since former Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Rey Leonardo ‘Jagger’ Guerrero was appointed to the top customs post in late 2018.
Data culled from the record of apprehensions at the office of Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence (DCI) Ranier Ramiro, showed that in the first nine months alone of 2020, his office had caused the seizure of P7.958 billion of smuggled products.
The figure, involving 726 smuggling attempt incidents, is a two-fold increase from the P3.728 billion worth of smuggled goods the IG interdicted and apprehended for the same period under his predecessor.
Last year, 2019, the first full year of Guerrero’s term as customs commissioner, proved to be a “banner year” for the IG when it recorded P20.585 billion worth of smuggled goods seized involving 906 smuggling attempts.
The IG’s most notable accomplishments last year involved the seizure of illegal drugs worth more than P3.559 billion and the campaign against counterfeit products resulting to the confiscation of fake goods totaling more than P9.443 billion.
And thus, far, the BOC is yet to be “blindsided” by illegal drug syndicates whose activities have resulted to the relief of Guerrero’s two predecessors, Comm. Nicanor Faeldon and Comm. Isidro Lapeña.
After his retirement, Guerrero was immediately appointed by Pres. Duterte as administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).
He was listening to a speech by the Chief Executive when, to his surprise, he was named as the new customs commissioner in placed of Lapeña and formally took over the top customs post at the end of October 2018.
Guerrero then appointed Ramiro, his ‘mistah,’ at the ‘Maharlika Class of 1984’ of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), to take charge of the Intelligence Group.
The IG is considered as the “next most powerful position” at the BOC after the customs commissioner.
A “silent worker” like Guerrero, very few people knew that most of the successful anti-smuggling operations by other BOC units was based on the intelligence provided by the office of Ramiro, particularly against illegal drugs and the series of apprehensions involving smuggled cigarettes at the various ports of the BOC.
The IG this year had already caused the seizure of illicit cigarettes worth more than P4.6 billion, nearly double its seizure last year while its drive against currency smuggling had added another P1.182 billion.
For illegal drugs, the IG had already confiscated more than P236 million of illegal drugs thus far while P335 million worth of smuggled vehicles were also apprehended, along with more than P521 million and more than P207 million worth of counterfeit goods and agricultural products, respectively.