P65 million ‘smuggled goods’ seized in Binondo

A JOINT government team spearheaded by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) raided a warehouse in Binondo, Manila, and seized an assortment of “smuggled” goods worth more than P65 million.

In a statement last April 23, 2021, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said the operation was based on a ‘Letter of Authority’ (LOA) signed by Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, with the raiding team consisting of elements from the CIIS, Customs Police (Enforcement and Security Service), Philippine Coast Guard and the National Bureau of Investigation.

The team inspected the storage facility and discovered various items such as BL Creams, Lotions, Speakers, 3M, and AIDELAI facemasks which are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The operation would be the second major anti-smuggling operation this year conducted by the MICP-CIIS under Alvin Enciso.

Last January 25, 2021, the team of Enciso also raided a warehouse in nearby Tondo area where they confiscated fake branded products worth more than P100 million.

In a separate statement last April 23, 2021, Port of NAIA district collector, Carmelita ‘Mimel’ Talusan, announced the confiscation of a shipment of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) hidden inside various tea products worth more than P1.6 million and weighing 240 grams.

Upon physical examination by a customs examiner, it was discovered that one of the tea product’s packaging was used to conceal a white crystalline substance, suspected as shabu, which was immediately confirmed after testing by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

The package, declared as “Assorted Foodstuff” was shipped by a certain “Yong Lee Chei” addressed to a consignee in Caloocan city.

Talusan further noted that the shipment came from Malaysia, the same country of origin of the shabu worth more than P1.63 billion they seized last October 31, 2020.

The latest apprehension based on the monitoring of Pinoy Exposé, would be the third successful interdiction of the BOC-NAIA of shabu entering from Malaysia following the arrest last March 5, 2021, of a drug recipient in Bulacan consisting of 2 kilos of shabu.

Last February 16, 2021, another two kilos of shabu from Malaysia also landed at the Clark Airport, according to Port of Clark district collector, Atty. Ruby Alameda.

Alameda said they subsequently arrested the recipient in Cebu, the drug’s final destination, through a successful ‘controlled delivery operation.’

‘Electronic cargo tracking’

Meanwhile, BOC spokesman, Atty. Vincent Maronilla, assured that the BOC is taking all measures necessary to further speed up the agency’s cargo release system while ensuring that containerized cargoes would not be diverted elsewhere with the full implementation of their ‘E-TRACC System’ project.

“In a nutshell, E-TRACC is a system that shall enable the bureau real-time monitoring of inland movements of containerized goods using an Information and Communications Technology-enabled system such as the GPS tracking device to secure its transport to the intended destination as monitored at the Customs Operations Center,” Maronilla explained.

The BOC formally launched the project last June 2020 aimed at not only facilitating cargo release but also, prevent their diversion from their intended destination.

The system is now extensively being used, especially at the MICP, the country’s biggest port in terms of cargo volume.

Piers and Inspection Division (PID) chief, Siegfred L. Manaois, in charge of the E-TRACC “arming station” at the MICP, said they currently have a stock of around 2,000 ‘trackers,’ a device that is installed on container vans.

Aside from monitoring a container’s actual location 24/7, the tracker is also designed to alert the BOC if the container seal is being tampered with, thus alerting the BOC on any possible smuggling activity.

Since the start of 2021, the system has recorded 19 apprehensions or alerts that were immediately responded to by the Enforcement Security Service – Quick Response Team (ESS-QRT).

Maronilla added that per BOC record, the system has recorded 63,642 trips from January to April 17, 2021, of which, 55 percent were discharged at PEZA- based companies (Philippine Economic Zone Authority).

On the other hand, the remaining 45 percent of the completed trips consist of 15,578 trips for Cold Storage Warehouse, or those involving agricultural products;

7,518 trips for Customs Bonded Warehouse (CBW) Imports, 4,370 trips for Container Yard/Container Freight Station accounts, 1,003 trips for CBW Exports, and, 183 for Condemned trips.

The report on completed trips involves the Port of Manila, MICP, Port of Batangas, Port of Subic, Port of Cebu, Port of Davao, and Port of Cagayan De Oro where E-TRACC is being fully implemented.