Shipment investigations zero-in on smugglers

Sending shivers to smugglers, two investigations have been launched to look into the illegal entry of sodium cyanide shipments in recent months at the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, an official said yesterday.

First, the Customs Intelligence Group (IG) wants an inquiry into what it said was the illegal release of seven containers of sodium cyanide in the port even as it issued an alert order on the shipments.

Intelligence officer Alvin Enciso said a team of probers from Manila would be leaving for Cagayan De Oro this week to find out how these were released and who were the people behind the mysterious disappearance of the cyanide.

The IG is bent on locating the whereabouts of the cyanide, which could possibly lead probers to the mastermind of the heist, he added.

The missing seven containers of sodium cyanide arrived at the MCT from Japan last October 23 and had been put on hold inside the port’s container yard.

But despite the shipments were placed on alert status, these were released to Greenstone Resource Corp., consignee of the cyanide, and were able to leave the port in three batches last November 11, 19, and 27.

Meanwhile, lawyer Rodelio Dascil, director general of the Senate Tax Study and Research Office, wrote Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina, asking the latter for assistance on the Senate probe into the cyanide shipment.

“We are hopeful that your office will be able to assist the committee by furnishing us the needed information on or before December 10,” he said in a letter, a copy of which was obtained by Manila Bulletin.

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means will conduct a probe after Senator Miriam Santiago filed Resolution 1659 calling for an inquiry into the cyanide smuggling in Mindanao.

Apart from the seven containers, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) earlier seized four container vans of sodium cyanide consigned to Central Combal Mining Supply Corp. for lack of import permits, undervaluation, and misdeclaration.

Sodium cyanide is an inorganic compound usually used in gold mining. It is the Environment Management Bureau under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which issues a permit to allow its importation.

In the case of Greenstone and Central Combal, they had no import permits, Enciso said.