The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized around P140 million worth of agricultural products at the Mindanao Container Terminal in in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
The goods entered Mindanao through several shipments from China and Vietnam consigned to EC Peninsula and New Dawn Enterprises. Both consignees have been charged previously by the BOC before the Department of Justice for alleged illegal importation of glutinous rice worth around P80 million just last month.
Customs Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group Jessie Dellosa said 78 container vans declared as various kitchenware, houseware, tiles and mix condiments were inspected and found to contain various agricultural products like rice, sugar, garlic, carrots and potatoes.
“We put the containers on alert status because of the general declarations of kitchenware, houseware, tiles and mix condiments. Already those were red flags for us as they are often used (in misdeclared shipments),” Dellosa explained.
Meanwhile, BOC is set to auction off on February 13 seized refined sugar contained in eight twenty-footer vans, quartz in three twenty-footers, and plywood in 11 forty-footers at the Manila South Harbor. At Batangas port, seized rice contained in 50 twenty-footer vans and one unit of used vehicle will also be auctioned off.
Image courtesy of Naypong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
