MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Customs (BOC) yesterday seized P8 million worth of smuggled goods, including 48 brand new motorcycles, at the Port of Manila (POM).
In a statement, the BOC said it also confiscated chemicals and plumbing supplies.
The motorcycles, reportedly consigned to Motozentrum Philippines, Inc., arrived in December 2013. While import documents stated the motorcycles were disassembled and each motorcycle’s value was declared to be $212.46 (P9,388.61).
The BOC said Motozentrum declared the shipment as from Thailand when the invoice, packing list and bill of lading indicate the shipment came from Calcutta, India.
A check on the shipment’s declared value revealed that the suggested selling price for the Yamaha YZR R15 150cc motorcycle in India is $1,812 (P80,072.28), a discrepancy of about 85 percent compared with the declared value.
The BOC also seized two 20-foot shipping containers of lead bromate, a chemical used in making certain types of glass, which had been declared to be “phthalic anhydride.” The shipment was consigned to Frebel Enterprises and arrived last March 2014.
The agency confiscated a 40-foot container imported by Unipipe Phils. Inc. filled with pipes, fittings and valves that were allegedly grossly undervalued. The shipment arrived in January 2014.