These photos from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) show sacks of smuggled sugar and onions that operatives from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service at the Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) found stacked in 22 containers following a series of inspections in the Manila port.
BOC halts entry of P101-M smuggled onions, sugar from China
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) found smuggled agricultural products worth P101,641,350 in 17 shipments at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) during a series of physical examinations on February 27 to 28, 2023.
Several containers mostly from China that arrived at the Manila port from December 29, 2022 to February 12, 2023 were found to contain misdeclared and undeclared items, such as red and white onions, mushroom balls, and sugar.
Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Juvymax Uy said intelligence officials and personnel under Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio‘s leadership have taken swift action taken in the examination of the containers.
“While we aren’t done yet examining all these suspected containers, we’re already working on getting to the bottom of these illegal operations. Our good commissioner and our port officers and personnel are invaluable assets to the agency. With Commissioner Rubio at the helm, our teams are working day and night to protect our borders,” he said.
The assigned Customs examiners found red and white onions, mushroom balls, and sugar in shipments to three local consignees— RYY Consumer Goods Trading, MFBY Consumer Goods Trading, and M.S. Fab Builder.
The Alert Orders (AOs) were issued after Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Director Verne Enciso received “derogatory information” about the contents of the containers.
“Originally, these shipments were declared to have pizza dough, shabu-shabu balls like fish balls, and some pneumatic tools. But, so far, of the 22 containers we have opened this week, we already found agricultural products, such as sugar and onions,” Enciso said.
After receiving the report from the Customs Intelligence Group, CIIS-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) chief Alvin Enciso put on hold the containers and led their physical examinations.
“It’s critical for us here at the port to act swiftly on these matters because if these containers are indeed carrying agricultural products, then we have to coordinate with other key government agencies for the proper documentation. Here, we’re not just on the lookout for contraband items like illegal drugs and such, but we’re also protecting our markets from the economic impact of smuggled agri goods,” he said.
The District Collector will immediately be issuing the Warrant of Seizure and Detention (WSD) against subject smuggled onions and sugar for possible violations of Sec. 1400 (misdeclaration in goods declaration) and Sec. 117 (regulated importation) in relation to Sec. 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of Republic Act No. 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
The discovery of the sugar and onion shipments came mere days before the bureau reported finding P1.4 billion worth of smuggled imported cigarettes in a warehouse in Indanan, Sulu during an operation there on March 2, 2023.
