THE Bureau of Customs – Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (BoC-CIIS) seized over the weekend some P5.5 billion worth of smuggled cigarettes and counterfeit items in a warehouse in Bulacan province.

Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said on Sunday that the raid was done by CIIS operatives by virtue of a Letter of Authority (LoA) he issued following derogatory information that the subject warehouse in Meycauayan, Bulacan was storing illegal imported cigarettes and IPR (intellectual property rights)-infringing goods.

Rubio said the hot goods will be condemned in a customs-accredited facility.

BoC-CIIS Director Verne Enciso said that prior to the raid, the warehouse was subjected to surveillance operations which confirmed the presence of the illegal items inside the warehouse.

"When the team got there to serve the LoA, they found a volume of stored imported cigarettes amounting to P500 million and P5 billion worth of IPR-infringing items," he added.

Among the counterfeit items in the warehouse were gadgets, devices and garments.

CIIS – Manila International Container Port chief Alvin Enciso, whose team led the serving of the LoA, underscored the importance of finding P5.5 billion worth of fake goods.

"We do not want to be a haven for counterfeit items. That is not the kind of message we want to send potential investors and even tourists. More so, that is not what the Marcos administration wants the country's reputation to be," he said.

He added that the latest operation represents the "long and grueling hours" that come with a successful raid.

"We have the manpower, the resources, and the technology to counter these illegal activities. There is no place in the Philippines for this and any organization that tries to pursue smuggling under our watch will have the law to answer to," Enciso stressed.

After the operation, the agents temporarily secured the entrance and exit gates of the warehouses with padlocks and seals.

The warehouse owners and operators were given 15 days from the service of the LoA to submit documents to show that the subject imported goods were legitimately imported, and that correct duties and taxes were duly paid pursuant to Section 224 of Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

If they fail to present the proper documents, they can face charges for violating Section 117 (regulated importation and exportation) and Section 1400 (misdeclaration in goods declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of the CMTA.

They will also face charges in accordance with Republic Act (RA) 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, RA 10963, the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, and the National Tobacco Administration Board Resolution 079-2005 (amended rules and regulations governing the exportation and importation of leaf tobacco and tobacco products).