MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Customs impounded last Jan. 8 a 40-foot container van loaded with over a thousand boxes of assorted firecrackers from China which were unloaded at the Mindanao Container Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
Customs Sub-Port Collector Lowell Medija said the firecrackers, with a retail value of over P3 million, were misdeclared by the consignee, Kenshien General Merchandise STC, as polyresins.
The illegal importation was detected and foiled by Customs operatives headed by Capt. Isidro Estrera of the Cagayan de Oro Command.
Lawyer Noah Dimaporo, representative for the Mindanao region of the Customs commissioner’s office, said the confiscated fireworks included dragon piccolos, saturn missiles, sparklers and tiger fireworks.
The contraband would be turned over to the Firearms and Explosives Unit of the Philippine National Police, Dimaporo said.