Operatives from the Bureau of Customs (BOC)-Port of Zamboanga destroyed some P50 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in a warehouse in Barangay Baliwasan.

The BOC said the smuggled cigarettes destroyed on April 13 were seized in separate operations since December 2020.

The bureau, together with representatives from different partner agencies, destroyed more than 1,278 master cases and 513 reams of cigarettes.

The seized cigarettes were crushed by payloader equipment in an outdoor yard, soaked with used oil to prevent recycling, dispersed with water by firemen, and disposed of in the sanitary landfill in Brgy. Salaan, it added.

The destruction and disposal of cigarettes is reported to be the first condemnation activity of the Port for this year.

The condemnation ceremony was witnessed by the local government unit, heads of partner law enforcement agencies, a representative from the Commission on Audit, Department of Health, and stakeholders, the BOC said.

“The immediate destruction and disposal of such contrabands was a firm directive from Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero to promote transparency and remove doubts of corruption, theft, or pilferage in the agency,” it added.

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) have announced their intention to begin Field Testing Enforcement activities on fuel products beginning April 26.

The testing covers gasoline, diesel, and kerosene found in warehouses, storage tanks, gas stations, other retail outlets, and in such other properties, to check if they contain the required Fuel Marker level.

Vessels, tank trucks, and similar fuel transporting vehicles will also be covered by the enforcement activities.

Under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, petroleum products found without the Official Fuel Marker or not containing the required level of the Official Fuel Marker are subject to payment of duties and taxes, as well as appropriate fines and penalties.

The payment is without prejudice to the confiscation and forfeiture of such Unmarked or Diluted Fuel and the filing of the appropriate criminal case.

The Field Testing process will be done using Mobile Laboratory Units equipped with analyzers capable of detecting the Official Fuel Marker’s presence in any fuel sample.

The test result will be generated on-site and will indicate a pass or fail result. Products with failed results will be subjected to Confirmatory Testing in the Fuel Testing Facility.

For purposes of transparency, the owner of the fuel or his representative will be allowed to witness the Field and Confirmatory Testing.

The two Bureaus began the Transitory Field Testing activities in February this year and will continue until April 26, 2021.

Under the Transitory Field Testing, sample fuels from retail stations and tank trucks in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces were tested to determine the marker levels in the fuel supply available in the domestic market.

The Fuel Marking Program aims to raise revenues while curbing fuel smuggling and leveling the Philippine oil industry.

Beginning its implementation in September 2019 to December 2020, the BOC and BIR marked a total of 17.55 billion liters of fuel and have collected Php171.72 billion in duties and taxes under the program.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday said it has confiscated ecstasy tablets and Kush marijuana estimated to worth over P3 million at different warehouses in Pasay City.

In a statement, the BOC said operatives from Customs-Port of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) through the Port’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group seized the illegal drugs that were found concealed in air parcels.

A total of 1,681 tablets of ecstasy with an estimated street value of P2,857,700 were found inside a microwave oven, while 133 grams of Kush Marijuana estimated at P159,600 was found inside a metal toy box.

In sum, the seized ecstasy and marijuana have an aggregate value of P3,017,300, the BOC said.

Based on records, the bureau said the seized ecstasy was shipped from the Netherlands and consigned to a recipient from Quezon City, while the intercepted Kush marijuana was shipped from the USA and consigned to a certain individual from Pasay City.

The BOC said the parcels have been turned over to the PDEA on Tuesday for case profiling and build up for possible violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act (Republic Act 9165) in relation to Section 119 (Restricted Importation) and Section1401 (Unlawful Importation) of Republic Act 10863 otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).