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The Bureau of Customs (BOC) filed yesterday various criminal charges with the Department of Justice (DOJ) against five firms and 17 individuals supposedly involved in smuggling.

Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales said they expect to collect some P502 million in additional revenue from all the cases, which were filed under the BOC’s Run After the Smugglers (RATS) program.

Morales said he believes the continuous filing of cases against smugglers would send a strong message to them that the bureau means business in its campaign against smuggling.

“The days of the smugglers are numbered,” he said as he vowed to put smugglers behind bars and increase government collections by preventing illegal activities on his turf.

Deputy Commissioner for Revenue Collection and Monitoring Group (RCMG) Reynaldo Umali, RATS program chief, also directed his men to keep a close eye on various strategies in smuggling. He has also ordered the preventive suspension of all brokers involved in the transaction of anomalous shipments and vowed to crack down on erring agents facilitating Customs shipments.

Among those charged before the DOJ were five officers and directors of Topover Corp. who reportedly submitted spurious documents in importating a motor tanker. Customs broker Ferdinand Guinto was also charged in this case.

Another Customs broker, Nolly Mariano, was charged together with the proprietor of Hap Chan Trading and Management Enterprises for wrongful declaration of 26 tons of frozen beef as “frozen lonely fish.” They also allegedly violated an existing ban on the importation of poultry and meat products from China due to bird flu and foot and mouth disease.

Customs broker Mark Francis Avenido was charged along with importer Marge Mercantile for wrongfully declaring four motor vehicles as 84 cartons of used replacement parts to evade payment of proper duties and taxes.

Licensed Customs broker Danilo Opinano, who allegedly facilitated the entry of 275 bales of used clothing was also included in the charge sheet for Dan Vill Forwarders, which declared the shipment as furniture.

Victor Piamonte, Customs broker of Oilink Corp., was also charged for his supposed involvement in the smuggling of kerosene.

Morales said they will not cease their intensified drive against smuggling as he reported that 10 cases they have filed before the DOJ have already been elevated to the courts.

“So far, we have already filed 39 cases under the RATS program, with a total of 193 respondents,” Morales said.