Cebu importer gets 8 years for car smuggling

MANILA, Philippines - An importer from Cebu was recently convicted for smuggling vehicles into the country in 2008, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced yesterday.

In a 22-page decision penned by Associate Justice Lovell Bautista of the  Court of Tax Appeals, Roel Sayson, owner of Trex Eve Auto Sales and Services in Mandaue City, was found guilty of violating the Tariff and Customs Code for illegal importation of 15 units of KIA Sportage and Hyundai Galloper.

The court found that Sayson wrongfully declared the shipment worth some P1.8 million, which arrived at the Port of Cebu from South Korea on board S/S Maas Trader, as “used truck replacement parts.”

Sayson was sentenced to eight years imprisonment.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima lauded the conviction, saying it underscored the government’s relentless campaign against smugglers and their protectors.

It was  so far the biggest smuggling conviction by the government. Last July, the Manila regional trial court convicted three importers – Danilo Villar, Danilo Opiniano and Ronnina Alojado – for smuggling used clothing or what is commonly known as ukay-ukay.