P19M smuggled sugar discovered
DA Assistant Secretary James Layug said the cargo was declared insulators, surge arresters, slippers outsoles and styrene butadiene rubber.
The Department of Agriculture on Friday disclosed that its operatives discovered at least P19 million worth of illegal sugar at the Manila International Container Port on 11 January 2023.
DA Assistant Secretary James Layug said the cargo was declared insulators, surge arresters, slippers outsoles and styrene butadiene rubber.
The discovery stemmed from the holding of the consignment — which arrived in five-container cargo — on hold last 29 November 2022 by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Department of Agriculture Inspectorate and Enforcement.
Layug said that members of the DA-IE, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force, Bureau of Plant Industry and Customs Intelligence and Investigation Services, found refined cane sugar in the container cargos during their inspection.
He added that it was a clear violation of the Food Safety Act of 2013 (Republic Act 10611) and the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016 (Republic Act 10845).
The DA is now preparing to file legal charges against the shipment’s consignee, Burias Jang Consumer Goods Trading.
For his part, Bureau of Customs commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz lamented the continuous attempts from smugglers to bring undeclared agricultural products into the country but lauded the teamwork with other government agencies.
“Our targeted examinations and close work with the DA and their attached agencies yielded significant quantities of smuggled agricultural products these recent months and helped protect Philippines agriculture from the economic impact that smuggling carries,” Ruiz said.
Meantime, Customs deputy commissioner Juvymax Uy revealed that the agency has faced a significant amount of attempts to traffic prohibited items the past month including agricultural products into the country.
The DA stated that the MICP had confiscated smuggled onions and other agricultural items for a total of P78.9 million from 27 December 2022 to 5 January 2023.
On 27 December 2022, officials found three container trucks containing white and red onions valued at least P25.3 million.
Five container vans with frozen boneless beef shanks, frozen pig stomach pouch pieces, and red and white onions worth at least P27.8 million were seized on 3 January 2023.
On 4 January 2023, authorities also found three container trucks with an additional P23.58 million worth of smuggled red onions.
On the other hand, officials impounded a container van with smuggled carrots valued at least P2.2 million on 5 January 2023.