Recently, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in the Philippines confiscated 112,750 undeclared/misdeclared unregistered e-cigarette products, falsely declared as thermal cups, at the Port of Manila, with an estimated value of 95.734 million Philippine pesos.

On March 18, personnel from the Customs, Manila Port District Tax Office, Enforcement and Security Service, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) led the inspection operation targeting the illegal goods.

The first batch of goods was discovered through an intelligence report. In a statement, the BOC said that a physical inspection of two 40-foot high containers revealed 46,600 flavored e-cigarette products misdeclared as thermal cups, with an estimated value of 23.3 million Philippine pesos and potential duties and taxes amounting to 30.2 million Philippine pesos.

Following the seizure operation, the Port of Manila District Collector confirmed that a Warrant of Seizure and Detention would be issued for violations of Sections 1113 and 1400 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and Republic Act No. 11900, also known as the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act.

In a parallel operation, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service at the Port of Manila requested the issuance of a PLCO on January 21, targeting unmanifested cargo on three vessels. Subsequent physical inspections by customs authorities revealed 66,150 undeclared e-cigarette products concealed in a shipment of thermal cups. The value of these contraband goods is approximately 72.4 million Philippine pesos, and it is reported that the government lost about 39.4 million Philippine pesos in revenue as a result.

According to the BOC, efforts are currently underway in collaboration with the DTI, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Philippine National Police to strengthen enforcement measures. These measures aim to uphold trade laws and restrict the sale of unauthorized e-cigarette products, especially to minors.