BOC turns over 15 undocumented Chinese to BI

The BOC said issuance of the LOA is pursuant to Section 224 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA). (File Photo By PhotoPhilia, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has turned over to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) 15 undocumented Chinese nationals who were detained after a recent raid on an establishment in Binondo, Manila which allegedly sells smuggled electronic products.

In a statement on Saturday, the BI said of the 15 Chinese, nine were found to be working without proper permits while three others have no travel records found in the agency’s database.

Two Chinese nationals have 9G visas while one has a special work permit, the BI said.

The Chinese nationals were referred to Immigration’s Legal Division for the initiation of deportation proceedings.

On July 31, 2019, a team composed of agents from the BOC and other government agencies, armed with a Letter of Authority (LOA), intercepted electronic devices such as Apple iPhones, iPads, Mi Brand, and Samsung devices.

The BOC said issuance of the LOA is pursuant to Section 224 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

A CMTA provision states that “The Commissioner or any customs officer who is authorized in writing by the Commissioner, may demand evidence of payment of duties and taxes on imported goods openly for sale or kept in storage.”

“In the event that the interested party fails to produce such evidence within 15 days, the goods may be seized and subjected to forfeiture proceedings,” the law states.

The joint operation stemmed from more than a month of information gathering and surveying conducted by operatives from BOC-Intelligence Group.

The BOC said the establishment’s owner has until August 14, 2019 to present the evidence of payment of duties and taxes on imported goods openly for sale or kept in storage or proof of local purchase.