CUSTOMS chief Bienvenido Rubio said “heads will roll” if it is confirmed that some of the bureau’s personnel were involved in the attempted resale of seized contraband cigarettes worth P270 million in Capas, Tarlac.
A statement from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) last Saturday night said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is investigating the possible involvement of some BOC personnel in the discovered attempted resale of smuggled cigarettes earlier seized by the bureau.
“I already instructed the Intelligence Group’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service to look into this matter and report to me immediately. The NBI has our full cooperation and I promise that anyone found involved in this will be held accountable. Heads will roll,” Rubio said.
“We are one with the NBI and thank them in the fight against cigarette smuggling. We have made significant progress in this regard, seizing P5.1 billion worth of e-cigarettes/vapes and P4.1 billion worth of tobacco and cigarettes, for a total of almost P9.3 billion last year,” he added.
Upon receiving the report, the bureau’s Auction and Cargo Disposal Unit was immediately instructed to form a team and coordinate with the NBI and the Tarlac local government unit “to provide clarity” regarding the seized cigarettes.
The shipments, contained in five containers, arrived at the Port of Subic between July 2021 and June 2022. They were abandoned and immediately seized and referred for disposal in 2023.
Of the five containers, which were later found to be smuggled, four were originally consigned to a certain Hongcim International Corp. and one was consigned to Proline Logistics Philippines Inc.
The BOC identified Hazchem North as the waste disposal company contracted to dispose of the cigarettes.
According to the bureau, this is 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.
“We are an open book. Anything the NBI needs from us, we’ll be committed and eager to provide access to them,” he added.
