P100M smuggled frozen agri-fishery products confiscated in Navotas
Members of the Sub-Task Force Group on Economic Intelligence (STG-EI) have confiscated at least P100-million worth of smuggled frozen agri-fishery products during the anti-smuggling operations conducted the other day in Navotas City.
The STG-EI, composed of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police, conducted the operation last Thursday afternoon in a vacant lot located along Guillermo Street, Bgy. San Rafael Village, Navotas City.
The operatives confiscated 12 refrigerated container vans (reefer) containing assorted frozen pork, beef, jumbo shrimp, eel, black chicken, crawfish, Peking duck and dori fish fillet.
Based on the markings on the boxes, the shipments came from Vietnam, China, Germany and Belgium.
According to DA, the container vans were opened in the presence of the alleged caretaker identified as Gilbert Abanso, who revealed that the said shipments were not covered by any documentation such as import permits and/or clearance.
Meanwhile, representatives of the Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and National Meat Inspection Service are now conducting inventory prior to the disposition of the smuggled items.
The NBI-National Capital Region under Atty. Dante Pua, on the other hand, will conduct the documentation and the filing of the appropriate criminal cases against the owner of the smuggled shipments.
It was the first neutralization operation that was conducted against smugglers and unscrupulous traders following the activation of the STG-EI, which is under the Task Group on Food Security created by the national government.
