BOC seizes 8 luxury vehicles amid smuggling crackdown
To curb smuggling and intensify broader government efforts to address anomalies tied to major infrastructure and flood control projects, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized eight luxury vehicles allegedly violating Customs laws.
According to the BOC, the eight high-value vehicles found at a multi-level parking facility in Taguig City during a seizure operation on Thursday, Jan. 8, were estimated at around ₱143 million.
This followed the court’s issuance of search warrants against multiple firms for probable violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA). It was carried out under a mission order after continued inter-agency intelligence gathering and coordination.
BOC Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno said the early-year operation, which followed the intelligence provided by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), underscored the agency’s enforcement mandate and its support for wider government accountability efforts, including “those linked to flood control projects.”
“We acknowledge the valuable coordination and support provided by the ICI, which helped ensure the orderly conduct of the operation and the secure handling of the seized vehicles,” said Nepomuceno.
It was carried out by a composite team from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS)–Manila International Container Port (MICP) and the Enforcement and Security Service, with support from the ICI, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and various Philippine National Police (PNP) units, including the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
According to the BOC, the vehicles were found on two parking levels and were inventoried in the presence of government officials and the property’s legal representatives.
Following the inventory, the vehicles were transferred to the ICI office in Bonifacio Global City for temporary safekeeping and are being secured by PCG personnel pending further legal proceedings.
Nepomuceno vowed that the BOC would continue coordinated actions against individuals, including those linked to the flood control scandal, to ensure accountability and protect the public interest. (Derco Rosal)