Government agents assigned at the Manila North Harbor have seized P85 million worth of frozen poultry products illegally imported from China.
Customs Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Raniel Ramiro said the consignee, Jeroce Consumer Goods Trading, and its broker, Gilber Gucilatar Lopez, will face smuggling cases and other appropriate charges for the five shipments that arrived on June 15.
The importers will be charged with violation of Sections 117 (regulated importation and exportation) and 1400 (misdeclaration) in relation to Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), among others.
“The shipments undergone 100 percent examination and found to contain frozen chicken thigh, frozen chicken breast, frozen chicken skinless breast, frozen chicken peeled breast, and frozen pork rectum with estimated value of P85 million,” said Ramiro.
On Monday, officials of the Manila International Container Port – Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (MICP-CIIS) witnessed the complete examination of the five 40-foot containers and found them to have misdeclared goods, a clear case of technical smuggling.
The Alert Order was issued upon the request of the Customs Intelligence Group (IG) and MICP-CIIS.
“Upon receiving information and validation since previous shipments were already seized with said violation, a request was immediately requested to MICP district collector for issuance of Alert Order or 100 percent physical examination,” CIIS Director Jeoffrey Tacio said.
The five Alert Orders showed that the CIIS-MICP also suspected the shipments to contain vegetables.
“We will immediately issue a Warrant of Seizure and Detention (WSD) on the shipments,” MICP District Collector Romeo Allan Rosales said.
Ramiro lauded the operations, as well as the intelligence sources that make it possible for the bureau to stop agricultural smuggling.
The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) earlier claimed that agricultural smuggling remains lucrative because none of the smugglers get penalized.