BOC foils ‘high seas’ smuggling in Bataan
P260 million worth of rice, cigarettes confiscated; shabu, assorted goods, also seized in Clark, Parañaque City
THE Bureau of Customs, thru the Port of Limay, has arrested some 50 individuals and seized smuggled cigarettes and rice from Vietnam that were unloaded in the high seas and afterwards transferred to a local ship off the coast in Orion, Bataan last week.
Port of Limay district collector, Atty. Jay Francia, in a report to Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, said the incident occurred last February 24, 2021, where combined elements from the bureau’s Customs Police (ESS), Intelligence Service (CIIS), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), managed to interdict the smuggled goods on board the ‘LCT Yellow River.’
Francia said that based on intelligence report, the shipment was first unloaded from a still unidentified “mother ship originating from Vietnam” then loaded to the LCT Yellow River.
The products, consisting of ‘Two Moon’ and ‘Mighty’ cigarettes and premium Vietnam rice were worth more than P260 million, the official added.
On actual inspection, the shipment, consigned to ‘Asia Pacific Rice Trading Corporation’ was allegedly accompanied with “fake” ‘statement of settlement of duties and taxes’ (SSDT) for the rice while the cigarettes lack tax seals, indicating they too, did not pay any tax.
Francia said further operation led to the interdiction of various delivery trucks at the various checkpoints they established at the Orion dockyard already loaded with the illicit goods and which lead to the apprehension of the 50 suspects.
The suspects, he added, have undergone inquest proceeding for violation of the country’s smuggling laws under RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
Shabu in Clark, smuggled ‘Chinese medicines, cigarettes in Parañaque
At the Port of Clark, district collector, Atty. Ruby Alameda informed Guerrero that last February 19, 2021, a claimant of a shipment of shabu subsequently forwarded to the Port of Cebu was arrested in another successful ‘controlled delivery operation’ jointly conducted by the BOC and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Alameda said the illegal drugs, wrapped in two black plastic packs and weighing 1,000 grams, originally landed at the Port of Clark last February 16 from Malaysia declared as ‘Air Fryer.’
She added their initial X-Ray inspection revealed images of organic substances hidden inside the electrical device, which raised their suspicion.
On confirmation that the image is illegal drugs, Alameda said they immediately coordinated with PDEA. The latter then arranged for the subsequent forwarding of the illegal drugs valued at around P6.8 million to the Port of Cebu.
The claimant, who was not identified, was then arrested after trying to claim the package.
In Tambo, Parañaque City, elements of the bureau’s intelligence service at the Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) under Alvin Enciso, conducted another successful anti-smuggling operation that led to the discovery of suspected smuggled cigarettes and medicines from China allegedly being used to treat COVID-19.
Armed with Letters of Authority (LOA) signed by Guerrero and accompanied by the elements from the PCG, ESS and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Enciso said visited two storage facilities in Tambo between February 16 and February 19 that led to the discovery of the suspected smuggled goods.
Enciso valued the confiscated items at more than P13 million; the first operation resulted to the seizure of some P4 million worth of goods and P9 million in the second operation, the official further explained.
