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The Bureau of Customs-Port of Manila seized six container vans containing over P34 million worth of misdeclared agricultural products, including onions and frozen mackerel
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The shipments, which arrived from China on May 27 and June 1, were declared as assorted food items such as mantou, egg noodles, and kimchi
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The containers were found to hold 74 metric tons of red onions, yellow onions, and frozen mackerel, with an estimated value of P34.204 million
The Bureau of Customs (BOC)-Port of Manila seized six container vans containing over P34 million worth of misdeclared agricultural products, including onions and frozen mackerel.
The shipments, which arrived from China on May 27 and June 1, were declared as assorted food items such as mantou, egg noodles, and kimchi, the BOC said in a statement.
Upon issuance of alert orders and conduct of a physical inspection on June 10, the containers were found to hold 74 metric tons of red onions, yellow onions, and frozen mackerel, with an estimated value of P34.204 million.
Based on price monitoring by the Department of Agriculture (DA), the estimated fair market values of the seized products were P10.2 million for red onions, P3.8 million for yellow onions, and P20.08 million for frozen mackerel.
The listed consignee for the two onion-loaded vans was Latinx Consumer Goods Trading, while the remaining four were consigned to Lexxa Consumer Goods Trading.
On June 23, 2025, a warrant of seizure and detention was issued for the goods due to misdeclaration and lack of the necessary import permits, which constitute violations of Section 117 in relation to Section 1113 of Republic Act (RA) No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA). These provisions authorize the seizure and forfeiture of improperly imported items.
On July 1, BOC assistant commissioner Atty. Vincent Philip Maronilla, deputy commissioner for Internal Administration Group Michael C. Fermin, BOC-Port of Manila district collector Alexander Gerard Alviar, and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. inspected the seized goods, with the participation of the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.
Alviar said the seizure “reflects our strong commitment to protecting the local industry and ensuring that our port remains a frontline defense against agricultural smuggling.”
The DA in a separate statement said the seizure potentially serves as a test case for the newly enacted RA No. 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.
Violators of RA 12022 may face a fine amounting to five times the value of the smuggled or hoarded agricultural products and life imprisonment. Under the law, smuggling or hoarding of agricultural commodities is classified as economic sabotage if the value of the goods exceeds P10 million.
“We intend to use the full force of the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act against these companies, including those who may have hired them to ship these onions and fish. We will pursue all legal remedies to bring these illicit traders to justice,” Tiu Laurel said.
