THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) filed smuggling charges against two companies and eight custom brokers Thursday.
BOC Commissioner Angelito Alvarez filed multiple counts of smuggling case against Gold Mind Trading proprietor Eduardo Ignacio Saguid and Quick Flo Trading owner Nestor Mendoza Ignacio.
Also included in the charge sheets were brokers Sheryl Garcia, Donald Nulod, Roilan Altamira, Aleli Arellano, Marcelo Laylo, Manalo Palma, Benjamin Suzon and Dominador Tanay.
Records showed that from 2009 to 2010, Gold Mind Trading and Quick Flow Trading made importations of various products, mostly household appliances, office equipment and even agricultural products from China.
It was also revealed that the companies existed only on paper as they used fictitious address in order to secure Customs Accreditation.
They shared a common address at Road 4, NDC Compound, Sta. Mesa Manila, but upon checking, instead of a building, a shanty was erected at the site.
Alvarez said that the proprietors of the two companies did not have the financial capability to engage in multi-million importations and were presumably being used as fronts by smuggling syndicates.
Meanwhile, the bureau is also looking into the involvement of customs personnel in the operation of smuggling syndicates.
He said charges should be filed against BoC employees who approved the accreditation of bogus, non-existent companies and facilitated the release of misdeclared and/or undervalued commodities.
Alvarez added that during the two years of their illegal operation it was possible that the government loses in taxes could run up to billions of pesos as they recorded that the companies had more than 1,300 import entries. (FP/Sunnex)