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Agents of the Bureau of Customs – Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA), intercepted 7,005 grams of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, during a recent operation at the NAIA Terminal 3. A checked-in luggage belonging to a South African passenger underwent non-intrusive inspection, which revealed a suspicious image suggesting possible concealment of illegal drugs. The discovered […]
Senator Kiko Pangilinan delivered a privilege speech recently raising concerns about the continuing impunity of large-scale agricultural smugglers and lamenting why they remain unpunished. Pangilinan took the floor to deliver his speech on the state of the country’s agricultural sector, pointing out how agricultural smuggling inflicts heavy losses on Filipino farmers and fisherfolk and undermines […]
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) have reaffirmed their joint commitment to intensifying border protection through enhanced information-sharing, system integration, and operational coordination to combat the smuggling of dangerous drugs and controlled chemicals. This echoes President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen enforcement through digitalized processes, closer inter-agency collaboration, […]
Demonstrating his firm commitment to enforcement and border security, Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno led the inspection of a consolidated shipment found to contain illegal drugs at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) recently. The BOC, acting on credible intelligence, issued an Alert Order on a 1×40-ft container declared as balikbayan boxes. A […]
The government’s crackdown on illicit trade is intensifying, with tax authorities vowing to press forward with criminal charges against unregistered and non-compliant players in the growing vape market, following the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) filing of an ₱8.7 billion tax evasion case before the Department of Justice (DOJ). In a television interview on Thursday, […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led an inspection on Monday of one-and-a-half dozen container vans suspected of being loaded with tons of frozen fish, but was declared by importers as processed plant-based commodities. A spot check conducted by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on […]
AGRI Party-list Rep. Manoy Wilbert Lee commended the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for intercepting P750,000 worth of smuggled agarwood, as he renewed his call for the passage of a measure to develop a sustainable agarwood industry that will increase the income of farmers and provide new opportunities in the country. “We laud the BOC for […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. raised concerns over suspected agricultural smuggling and steep retail prices during his visit to the Cartimar market. Inspecting market stalls, Tiu Laurel identified vegetables like onion sticks, Chinese yam, large broccoli, and peppers—some still wrapped in packaging with Chinese characters—as potentially smuggled goods. The agriculture chief pointed out that […]
Senator Win Gatchalian sounded the alarm over the widespread smuggling and illicit trade of excisable products, including cigarettes and vapes, saying such activities erode revenue collection, pose health concerns, and create peace and order issues. “My worry is a reversal in smoking prevalence trends. We previously had a win-win situation where smoking prevalence was decreasing […]
With the joint efforts of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC), 588 metric tons of frozen mackerel worth P178.5 million, illegally imported from China, were intercepted at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT). DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel stated that the case constitutes attempted smuggling and can be included under the […]