Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio has warned the alleged resellers of the ₱270-million worth of smuggled cigarettes confiscated recently in Capas, Tarlac.
Rubio also assured that “‘heads will roll’ if reports are confirmed that some of the agency’s personnel were involved in the discovery of [the] attempted resale.”
Upon receiving the information, he ordered the Intelligence Group’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) to investigate the matter and report to him immediately.
He likewise stressed that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) “has our full cooperation and I promise that anyone found involved in this will be held accountable. Heads will roll.”
Reports said that the NBI is “currently investigating the possible involvement of some personnel of the BOC in the discovery of attempted resale of smuggled cigarettes earlier seized by the bureau.”
Port of Subic’s acting district collector Marlon Fritz Broto said he ordered the Auction and Cargo Disposal Unit (ACDU) to coordinate with the NBI and local authorities for clarity on the seized cigarettes.
According to Broto, these shipments arrived at the port in four batches between July 2021 and June 2022 but were abandoned and seized for disposal in 2023.
After the bond was settled, the condemnation process—the declaration of the seized goods as unfit for use or sale—began on Jan. 6 and continued on Feb. 9 with the last three containers.
Broto reported that investigation results showed the buy-bust operations by the NBI occurred “during a shift change for ACDU, ESS, and CIIS Port of Subic Customs personnel guarding the condemnation process.”
According to Broto, investigation results showed that the NBI’s buy-bust operation happened during a shift change of ACDU, Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), and CIIS Customs personnel overseeing the condemnation process at the port.
He also noted that the condemnation of the containers “occurred within the regulatory period.”
Four of the five containers, which were later confirmed as smuggled, were consigned to Hongcim International Corp. and one to Proline Logistics Philippines Inc.
The BOC identified Hazchem North as the waste disposal firm handling the cigarettes, “the same company whose owner the NBI said allegedly ordered his environmental consultant to find a buyer for the goods.”
“Our coordination with the NBI has always been one of the reasons our operations have been successful. If the investigation targets someone from our team, that’s all the more reason we should work together with the NBI to get to the bottom of this and hold people accountable,” Rubio said.
In 2024, the BOC seized nearly ₱9.3 billion worth of e-cigarettes, vapes, and tobacco products.