Government agents have seized shipments of firearms, airgun and ammunitions in three separate occasions at an airport bonded warehouse in Pasay City, officials said Tuesday.
Customs operatives assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted a Glock pistol with four magazines and 92 live ammunitions; and 35 pieces of rifle parts on July 1 and 4 from DHL warehouse.
Customs NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan said based on documents, the rifle parts from Hong Kong were misdeclared as general merchandise while the Glock pistol and pistol parts bound for Taiwan were misdeclared as “new water pump.”
In the same warehouse, the abandoned goods examined on July 7 also yielded an airgun rifle with accessories and gun parts from China.
Talusan said her men conducted the operations in close coordination with the Philippine National Police-Firearms and Explosive Office.
“An investigation is now being conducted to identify its perpetrators and in preparation for the filing of appropriate charges,” she said.
Talusan said her office will never stop its campaign to protect the country’s premier airport from the entry of illegally imported goods, especially those that would endanger human lives.
“We do not sleep at the NAIA District office, if only to ensure that illegal goods, especially guns and drugs are apprehended and are not able to get through customs,” Talusan said.
Last February, Talusan’s men also intercepted a shipment of firearms and live ammunitions also at a bonded warehouse of NAIA.
The contraband—composed of 8 pieces of .9mm Glock 19 pistols, 20 magazines and 266 live ammunitions—were discovered inside a solar panel and tool cart placed in two parcels bound for Taiwan.
Customs-NAIA personnel discovered the contraband through profiling and subsequent X-ray scanning of the outbound packages at the airport warehouse.
The importer misdeclared the P500,000 worth of shipment as solar panel and tool cart based on the shipment documents.
Exportation of firearms and ammunition through fraudulent misdeclaration and without necessary permits constitute violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and Republic Act 10591 or Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Manila International Airport Authority general manager Eddie Monreal said the recent bomb attacks in Sulu caused further intensified security measures at the country’s main gateway.
The authorities also make simultaneous checking of all passengers entering at the initial and final security check to ensure that no firearms or explosives could be smuggled.