Customs seizes P30.2 million worth of smuggled onions, ginger

The Bureau of Customs (BoC) apprehended 32 40-footer containers of imported onions and ginger with a combined worth of P30.2 million.

Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales, together with Agriculture assistant secretary Salvador Salacup and Intelligence and Enforcement Group Deputy Commissioner Celso Templo, led the inspection of the containers of onions that arrived in the country without import permits issued by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry.

Six of the apprehended containers arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) on May 11 on board Eagle Excellence from India.

Kaizer Trading Co., the declared consignee in the bill of lading and shipping manifest, denied ownership of the containers.

On the other hand, eight of the apprehended containers arrived on May 15 on board Dover Strait from Keelung, Taiwan.

Onion shipments were said to be consigned to Mel Container Lines but it denied ownership of the shipments to Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) operatives.

The other 16 containers were consigned to Rell International Trading who also denied ownership.

Fourteen of these arrived on May 26 on board Medalantic from India while the remaining two arrived last June 1 on board HS Puccini from Hong Kong.

“The consignees denied ownership but we will still be filing criminal charges against these importers. These products are regulated, the importers could use the denial as defense that could be manifested to the Department of Justice in determining probable cause,” Morales said.

“Verification of the same will be conducted by the International Affairs Division from the country of origin to clarify this denial,” Customs intelligence chief Dino Tuason added.

Meanwhile, CIIS director Jairus Paguntalan said Morales ordered the investigation of these cases to determine who are really involved so that appropriate charges can be filed in court against them and also to clear the names of the declared consignees if they really are not involved in the smuggling.

For his part, Morales assured the public that the BoC has not let down its guard against smuggling, especially of agricultural products.

“We remain vigilant in our anti-smuggling campaign and continue to quash any new modus operandi that smugglers think of to skirt detection by authorities. The bureau always remains one step ahead of enterprising importers,” he said.

Lawyer Alexander Atienza, CIIS-MICP chief, recommended the immediate issuance of the warrant of seizure and detention to lawyer Adelina Molina, collector of the MICP. PNA