During a routine check, Chilean Customs Service inspectors detected 369 contraband perfumes in the cabin of a sulfuric acid truck. The merchandise was purchased in the Iquique Free Trade Zone by the driver who intended to evade taxes to sell these products in Antofagasta, Second Region.
The procedure took place at the Quillagua outpost, south of Iquique. There, the perfumes were seized because they were not declared or manifested by the transporter, thus configuring the crime of smuggling as defined in article 168 of the Chilean Customs Ordinance.
The Regional Director of the Iquique Customs Office, Cristian Molina Silva, said that during the controls on passengers and cargo, the cabin of a truck was inspected, whose driver said he was traveling empty to Mejillones, north of Antofagasta.
"Upon inspecting the cabin, our inspector found various sealed boxes in the drawers, sides and bunk containing perfumes, of which 163 had receipts from the Free Trade Zone and another 206 had no documentation.", said the director.
All the goods are original and their customs value was calculated at $10.879.739 (US$16.000), while the uncollected duties amount to $2.843.959 (US$4.182).
The carrier, based in Alto Hospicio, Iquique, was warned and faces a fine of 1 to 5 times the value of the merchandise.
Star products of the free zone
The perfumes include different brands and presentations, such as Angel Mugler, Versace, Samsara, Givenchy, Halloween, Burberry, Bulgary, Nina Ricci, Opium, Davidoff, Jadore Dior, Lolita, Attimo, Miracle, Lacoste, Emporio, Beyonce, Azzaro, Paris Hilton, XS Paco Rabanne, Givenchy Organza, Shakira, Hugo Boss, Funny Moschino, Polo, DKNY, Mercedes Benz, Katty Perry, Davidoff, Calvin Klein, Pepe Jeans and Carolina Herrera.
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