BUSTED. Customs officers inspect one of three luxury cars concealed in a shipment of used clothing at Manila International Container Port (MICP) on Wednesday (June 2, 2021). This came a week after Customs officers intercepted four luxury cars worth PHP10 million which were also hidden in a shipment of used clothing. (Photo courtesy of BOC)
MANILA – Bureau of Customs (BOC) officers seized another shipment containing luxury cars worth PHP20 million concealed in used clothing (ukay-ukay) at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
In a statement on Thursday, Alvin Enciso, chief of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS)-MICP, said the luxury cars were discovered in an inspection of the shipment on Wednesday.
Found inside the cargo which arrived from Japan are a white Ferrari 430 Scuderia, a gray Mercedes Benz E220, and a blue Mercedes Benz SLK 55
The container is consigned to JLFDM Consumer Goods Trading, the same consignee of the PHP10 million worth of Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Toyota sports cars that were seized by BOC last month.
“We’ve been on the lookout for containers consigned to this particular company. Prior to the arrival, we already knew the same modus of hiding the vehicles behind bales of ukay-ukay clothing. We had monitored the shipment before it left the port of origin,” Enciso said.
At least 33 bales of used clothing were placed at the threshold of the container. The inspectors found some plywood behind the used clothing to hold and secure the bales from falling into the motor vehicles hidden at the far end of the container.
Enciso said Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) and Formal Entry Division (FED) personnel were present during the “100 percent physical examination” of the shipment, which was originally declared to contain used truck parts and other accessories.
A warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) was immediately issued by MICP District Collector Romeo Rosales for the possible violation of Section 1400 of RA 10863 or otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero warned smugglers that the bureau will continue being active in its “border security and intelligence gathering activities.”
“This is the second time in a month that we discovered the same modus. We are going to hit hard on these smugglers for not stopping their illegal activities,” he said.
The operation is part of COPLAN TSEKOT, which is “aimed at stopping the entry of smuggled vehicles into the country’s ports.” (PNA)
