P19M smuggled sugar seized at Manila port
AT least P19 million worth of smuggled sugar was confiscated at the Manila International Container Port last Tuesday.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary James Layug of the Department of Agriculture Inspectorate and Enforcement (DA I&E) said that the confiscation halted the illegal operation of smugglers plying in one of the entry points of international cargoes in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Layug disclosed that the shipment, which came in five-container cargo, was placed on hold order last November 29, 2022, following his request.
During the inspection conducted by the DA-IE, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), and Customs Intelligence & Investigation Services (CIIS), it was discovered that the cargo initially declared as “insulators, surge arresters, slippers outsoles, and styrene butadiene rubber” but was refined cane sugar.
Following the confiscation of the contraband, Layug said that charges will be filed against the shipment’s consignee for the misdeclaration and misclassification of the shipment as both the Food Safety Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10611) and the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016 (Republic Act No. 10845) were violated.
