|
CUSTOMS authorities on Thursday announced the seizure
of at least P30-million worth of imported onions and ginger that
were being smuggled into the country by unscrupulous traders.
The seizure of 30 40-footer
container vans with P22.7-million worth of imported onions and
P7.5-million worth of ginger is part of the Bureau of Customs’
drive against the smuggling of agricultural products.
Customs Commissioner Napoleon
Morales said the container vans were seized immediately after their
arrival at the Manila International Container Port last month.
The shipments, the customs
commissioner said, were intercepted by elements of the Customs
Intelligence and Investigation Service headed by Jake Paguntalan.
According to investigations, six
of the apprehended containers arrived at the Manila port on May 11
coming from India.
Four days later, eight of the
intercepted containers containing imported onions arrived from
Keelung, Taiwan.
Fourteen of the 16 containers of
imported ginger arrived on May 26 from India and the remaining two
arrived on June 1 from Hong Kong.
“The consignees [of the
shipments] denied ownership but we will still be filing criminal
charges against these importers. These products are regulated and
the importers could use the denial as defense,” Morales said.
The shipments were declared as
onions, but no records of import permits could be found from the
Bureau of Plant Industry.
--Anthony Vargas
|
