Clark Freeport—Some P25 million worth of smuggled poultry meat and other food items from China and other unidentified nations were seized by government authorities led by the Bureau of Customs Port of Clark after a huge warehouse in Barangay Anunas, Angeles City was raided last weekend.
"The seized items are believed to have been smuggled into the country because of a ban on importing poultry products from a number of countries except for the United States, Canada, and Australia,” said Port of Clark District Collector lawyer Ruby Claudia Alameda.
• Alameda did not name the other countries from which the smuggled goods came.
• She said these imported goods should pass stringent requirements and tests by the Customs and other regulatory government agencies.
The raid, Alameda said, was conducted by virtue of Letter of Authority 06-10-041-2020 and
Mission Order 06-10-2020- 086 both issued by the BoC against Jimgold M. Tan, alleged owner of the warehouse.
Alameda said the operations against erring businessmen was in line with the BoC mandate to eliminate fraud and curb smuggling and most importantly ensure safety and health of our consumers with the present threat of bird flu.
The raiding team was composed of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Services and the National Bureau of Investigation—Special Action Unit with support from the Philippine Coast Guard, and the local police headed by Colonel Joyce Patrick Sangalang.
Among those discovered inside the warehouse were thousands of liters of soy sauce and cooking oil. The group also found stockpile of frozen food products such as Peking ducks, fish balls, squid balls, vegetables, pork meat, etc.