P4.72 million agri goods seized in Malabon warehouse
BOC-POM releases abandoned ‘balikbayan’ boxes to owners
COMBINED elements from the Bureau of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (BOC-CIIS), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday, November 11 2021, raided a warehouse in Malabon City where they found assorted agricultural products worth more than P4.72 million.
Armed with a ‘letter of authority (LOA) and mission order (MO) issued by Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero,the group, with the assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) proceeded to a compound in Malabon where they conducted initial inspection of several warehouses inside.
Manila International Container Port CIIS chief, Alvin Enciso, in a post-operation report, said among the goods found were loads of broccoli, carrots, red onions, and other imported products, which were all suspected to have been illegally released from the port.
In one of the warehouses, the composite team found 7 reefer (refrigerated) vans used as temporary cold storage for the confiscated products.
Three of the vans were found still containing the smuggled agricultural goods but the other four have already been emptied of their content.
Meanwhile, Port of Manila (POM) district collector, Michael Angelo Vargas, announced the release to the legal claimants of the balikbayan boxes that were abandoned by its local ‘deconsolidator’ with the completion of the cargoes’ inventory.
The assorted goods have been pending at the POM since August 2021, after they were sent through ‘Jenrich Fast Cargo’ but then abandoned by its ‘deconsolidator,’ ‘Jenrich Fast Cargo.’
The physical examination and final inventory of the cargoes took place from November 2 to 4, 2021, at the ATI Warehouse 3 in South Harbor.
For transparency, the activity was witnessed by representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), and Enforcement Security Service (ESS).
Some of the claimants and their representatives were also in attendance to observe how the boxes were examined.
The container stripping of the abandoned consolidated shipment was first done last August 10, 2021, to verify if the boxes of the claimants were among those loaded in the containers.
Vargas also formed a team to assist the claimants in the processing of the lifting of the decree of abandonment
Vargas also earlier assured that the boxes that were verified as among those loaded in the containers will be released to the respective claimants.
