Tons of smuggled cigarettes, vegetables 'grinded'
PORAC -- Nine 40footer container trucks carrying more than 6,000 master cases of smuggled cigarettes and assorted imported vegetables found its way to Green Leaf 88 Non-Hazardous Waste Disposal Facility for destruction under the supervision of the Bureau of Customs Port of Subic Friday.
Each container vans are loaded with a 1,050 master cases of different brands of cigarettes believed to be counterfeit while the other container trucks are carrying several tons of vegetables shipped to Subic Bay Freeport from China.
The contrabands were hauled from Port of Subic warehouse for condemnation following its seizure early this year by Bureau of Customs (BoC).
Green Leaf 88 has three units of giant electric shredding machines that simultaneously operates to accommodate huge volume of materials being brought there for destruction mostly forfeited smuggled perishable and non-perishable goods.
Deputy Commissioner Maita Acevedo, Chief of Cargo Disposal and Auction Division of the BoC Port of Subic, said the contraband are up for disposal on the strength of a court order following forfeiture proceedings against the misdeclared cargoes.
Acevedo, who initially declined to talk to the media about the forfeited items, however said that all items for destruction have been seized in separate occasions at the Port of Subic this year.
"We are here to supervise the condemnation process and to see to it that all materials brought into the Green leaf 88 waste disposal facility are grinded up to the last particles," said
Acevedo while directing her men to properly make an inventory of the items.
Also present during the condemnation were representatives from the Bureau of Plan Industry- Central Luzon, Japan Tobacco International and Philipp Morris.
Robert Gaza, owner of the Green Leaf 88, said all items brought for destruction are transformed into tiny pieces of materials after it underwent procedures in our machines. He said the waste disposal facility is equipped with technical machines that process vegetables and other perishable items. (Chris Navarro)