THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized over 112,000 unregistered vape products worth an estimated P103 million in two separate operations at the Port of Manila (POM) on Tuesday, March 18.
The BOC estimates that the government could have lost approximately P70 million in taxes had these illicit shipments gone undetected.
The first shipment, declared as containing insulated cups, was flagged after the BOC received derogatory information.
Deputy Commissioner Teddy Sandy S. Raval issued a pre-lodgement control order (PLCO), leading to the inspection of two 40-foot-high cube containers. The inspection uncovered 233 cartons containing 46,600 assorted flavored vape products, valued at approximately P23.3 million, with an estimated P30.2 million in duties and taxes.
POM District Collector Alexander Gerard E. Alviar will issue a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) against these shipments for violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act.
In a separate operation, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS)-POM requested a PLCO on January 21 for three additional shipments suspected of carrying undeclared goods. A physical inspection by Customs examiners revealed over 66,000 undeclared vape products concealed within boxes of insulated cups. These items are valued at P72.4 million, with an estimated potential revenue loss of P39.4 million.
