MANILA: The Bureau of Customs (BOC) discovered allegedly smuggled luxury vehicles valued at P1.4 billion in a warehouse in Paranaque City and another in Pasay City.
According to a BOC statement on Friday (Feb 14), the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) got a tip about the vehicles earlier this February.
“When we received the tip about these vehicles early this month, we immediately verified the information and processed the issuance of the appropriate orders to conduct the operation,” CIIS Director Verne Enciso said.
The CIIS team arrived at the Pasay and Paranaque warehouses on Thursday to secure the premises and to serve letters of authority and mission orders to the representatives of the companies that owned the warehouses.
The owners, lessees, lessors, occupants, and other responsible parties of the warehouse were required to submit proof of taxes within 15 days after receiving the letters of authority.
If they are found lacking the proper documents, they may face charges for violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
The BOC has yet to complete its inventory of all the vehicles in the warehouses. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
