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The Bureau of Customs shut down 3 warehouses with P505 million worth of allegedly smuggled rice in Bulacan
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Around 202,000 sacks of rice from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand were discovered
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Warehouse owners were ordered to present import documents
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) shut down three warehouses in Bulacan containing P505 million worth of allegedly smuggled rice.
About 202,000 sacks of rice suspected to be smuggled from Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand were discovered in an industrial complex in San Juan, Balagtas, Bulacan on August 24, the BOC said in a statement. The shipments lacked import documents.
A team led by Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Director Verne Enciso, with CIIS-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) agents, and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Task Force Aduana inspected the warehouses. They were joined by Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Representatives Erwin Tulfo, Wilfrido Mark Enverga and Ambrosio Cruz, Jr.
Rubio said he ordered the warehouse owners to present the necessary importation documents and the total amount of stored rice grains.
The BOC visit and inspection is in accordance with Chapter 2, Section 224 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy said the BOC coordinated with the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Balagtas, as well as with personnel from Barangay San Juan in the implementation of the Letters of Authority (LOA) signed by the Customs chief.
“Only after the LOAs were acknowledged by the warehouse representatives did the team proceed to inspect the storage, where they found hundreds of thousands of sacks of rice grain we suspect to be lacking the necessary importation documents,” Uy added.
CIIS’ Enciso said, “[As] with our protocol, the team padlocked and sealed the warehouse temporarily and proceeded with the inventory of the subject sacks of imported rice.”
The assigned Customs examiners conducted an inventory of the imported rice along with agents from the CIIS, PCG, Enforcement and Security Service, as well as the warehouse representatives.
If warehouse owners fail to submit importation documents and evidence of payment of correct duties and taxes, BOC will seize the rice grains and initiate forfeiture proceedings in keeping with Sec. 1401 (Unlawful Importation) in relation to Sec. 1113 (Property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of CMTA.
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