(Photo courtesy of BOC)
MANILA – Authorities seized smuggled agricultural products worth PHP9 million from a warehouse in Valenzuela City last week, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported on Wednesday.
In a statement, Customs Deputy Commissioner Raniel Ramiro said a joint team from the Manila International Container Port-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (MICP-CIIS) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Task Force Aduana led the operation at the warehouse owned by Morehouse Marketing in Barangay Ugong on October 8.
The team discovered 8,000 sacks of various agricultural products, including red onions, ginger, and mung beans, upon inspection of the warehouse after presenting the Letter of Authority (LOA) signed by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero.
“This is not a one- or two-time thing. This is a continuous effort from the bureau and the MICP-CIIS. The goal is not to allow even one sack of agricultural products to enter the country illegally because we cannot saturate the market with these smuggled products. It will have such a huge impact on the economy, on our farmers,” Ramiro said.
The bureau will examine the seized products for inventory before the issuance of a Warrants of Seizure and Detention (WSD) in accordance with Section 1113 of Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and existing regulations of the Bureau of Plant Industry.
Last week, the BOC also seized PHP50 million worth of agricultural products, frozen seafood, cosmetic products, and counterfeit goods in a raid at a warehouse in Meycauayan City, Bulacan. (PNA)
