Philippine Customs Seizes More Than $80 Million Worth Of Smuggled Products Involving E-cigarette Brand AKSO

Philippine Customs seizes more than $80 million worth of smuggled products involving e-cigarette brand AKSO

The Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized about 4.8 billion pesos (about 84.9 million U.S. dollars) worth of smuggled goods, including e-cigarettes, counterfeit goods and cosmetics, in a raid in Manila. The seized e-cigarette products were marked with the "AKSO" brand logo, and the Customs Bureau is tracking down the relevant responsible persons.

According to the Philippine News Agency (PNA), a Philippine government news website, on September 9, the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) recently seized a batch of suspected smuggled goods worth about 4.8 billion Philippine pesos (about 84.9 million U.S. dollars) in a raid in Manila.

BOC Director Bienvenido Rubio said in a press briefing on Monday (9th) that the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Bureau of the Nila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) raided a warehouse in Binondo on September 6 and seized smuggled e-cigarettes, counterfeit branded goods, cosmetics and daily necessities. Among them, the e-cigarette products seized were branded with the "AKSO" logo.

"I am sure this will be one of the biggest operations of our Bureau of Customs this year. The value of the items found is huge. In recent years, we have been monitoring multiple warehouses to prevent intellectual property violations. As these groups and individuals become more and more brazen in their means of evading the law, our customs personnel will track them down and prosecute them from top to bottom."

BOC-CIIS Director Verne Enciso added that counterfeit goods with multiple branded logos were found on multiple floors of the warehouse.

The Bureau of Customs temporarily sealed the warehouse storage area pending the final inventory of the items by designated customs inspectors. The warehouse owners and operators were also notified to submit documentary proof within 15 days from the date of the letter that the imported goods were legally imported and that the correct duties and taxes had been paid in accordance with Section 224 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

If the proper documentation is not provided, the warehouse owners and operators will be held liable for violating Sections 117 (Regulated Imports and Exports) and 1400 (Misdeclaration of Goods) of the CMTA, as well as Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture). In addition, they may also face charges under the Intellectual Property Rights Act of the Philippines (RA 8293) and the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion Act (RA 10963).

In addition, the Philippine Enforcement and Security Bureau (MICP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) also participated in the operation.