BY ARIEL FERNANDEZ
Signature bags, shoes and shirts and other luxury accessories worth P6.5 million have been seized by Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport officers due to misdeclaration.
NAIA Customs District Collector Carmelita M. Talusan said among the items that arrived in commercial quantity are products of Prada, Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Dior, and Valentino.
Tulusan said the shipment from Maisons-Alfort, France was consigned to a certain Reynaldo Tan and was declared as personal effects like assorted clothes and shampoo.
The 100% physical examination of the subject shipment, however, confirmed that it actually consisted of luxury bags, shoes, sandals, shirts and other accessories in commercial quantity (157 pieces).
The shipment shall be subjected to seizure and forfeiture proceedings in violation of Section 1400 in relation to Section 1113 of the CMTA, according to Talusan.
The misdeclaration is an apparent attempt to evade the payment of correct duties and taxes through the use of falsified/spurious documents and circumvent the duty and tax-free privileges afforded to balikbayan boxes. (Ariel Fernandez)
