CUSTOMS Commissioner Angelito Alvarez has ordered the seizure of smuggled goods worth P31-M that included a used Kia Carnival and a Hyudai Starex, musical instruments, ceramic tiles and high-velocity electric fans.

Alvarez said the smuggled goods were intercepted by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Operations Section (CIIS-OS) in a series of operations that also exposed the activities of a so-called consignee-for-hire.

The hot goods were ordered seized for being grossly undervalued, misclassified, misdeclared, abandoned or addressed to fictitious consignees.

CIIS Director Filomeno Vicencio Jr., said six of the 16 containers were consigned to Cren Trading which was in the news months ago after the CIIS foiled its attempt to spirit out of the Port of Davao two high-end vehicles,  a Toyota Tundra and a Hummer H2, and two containers of used clothings or ukay-ukay.

Among Cren Trading’s imported commodities that the BOC authorities also seized at the Port of Manila were two containers of used home appliances, a container of PVC flooring and two containers of ceramics tiles with combined dutiable value of P6.2 million.

Vicencio said Cren Trading was probably one of those fictitious consignees being hired by syndicates involved in illegal importation.

CIIS operations chief Eric Albano disclosed that Cren Trading used to have a registered office in Quiapo, Manila.

However, a recent check showed that other firm now occupies that Quiapo office.

According to Dino Tuazon, CIIS Intelligence Division chief, he had dispatched intelligence team to look into the past importations of Cren Trading.

Vicencio said that of the remaining 12 seized containers, five were consigned to Heros Number-1 Surplus Shop, two each to Dae Han Product Line Trading and Kens Unlimited Trading International Corporation and one each to Gawisao Trading, Cassa Trading and Uy Tit and Company, Inc.

Seized from Kens Unlimited were two used Kia Carnival and a Hyundai Starex van worth P2 milllion and a container full of assorted musical instruments also valued P2 million.

Also seized were 6,483 units of high velocity electric fans worth P5.3 million consigned to Cassa Trading; five 40-footer containers consigned to Heros Number-1 with P3.5 million worth of used chair and cabinet drawers; two containers used bed sheets, blankets and used clothing worth P3 million consigned to Dae Han Product Line; 688 cartons of yarn worth P5 million consigned to Gawisao Trading; and 1,960 cartons of post hole digger worth P3 million consigned to Uy Tit and Company.

Alvarez ordered the conduct of an internal investigation to determine if certain Customs personnel were involved in the foiled smuggling attempt.