BY BETHEENA UNITE
Smuggled cigarettes and unlicensed firearms worth P10 million, test kits for coronavirus and Chinese medicines were recently uncovered in a store and storage establishment in Makati City, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) said.
The firearms and cigarettes were seized during a raid on August 25. A test-buy was conducted following surveillance confirming the existence of the smuggled and unlicensed items.
Aside from the firearms and cigarettes, test kits for coronavirus and Chinese medicine Linhua Qingwen Jiaonang were found in the establishment, which information is withheld by the bureau.
Customs agents alleged that the items are intended to be sold in public. Face masks and liquors were also found on the site.
Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Raniel Ramiro said that agents from Customs, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) raided the establishment on the strength of a letter of authority signed by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero.
Agents from the Customs, NBI, and PCG are conducting a thorough search of the premises to ensure that it is clear of any other firearms, Ramiro said.
He added that the bureau “would coordinate with the Food and Drugs Administration to determine if the medicines had their approval and also with the Philippine National Police for details of the seized firearms.”
The items and the establishment premises shall be sealed and kept under guard while an inventory is ongoing to verify pertinent import permits and documents. (Betheena Unite)
