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BOC intercepts unmarked fuel at Batangas private port


The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday said it intercepted a shipment of unmarked fuel at a private port in Batangas.

In a statement, the BOC said it received a report on the possible presence of unmarked fuel inside crude oil tanker VOI MT Harmony Star in the vicinity of Barangay Mainaga in Mabini, Batangas.

It said that Customs personnel proceeded to the private port where they found two lorries parking and loading fuel onto a vessel about 30 meters from the shoreline.

An initial test done on one of the trucks found the fuel marker—an inert chemical added to fuel after the payment of duties and taxes—at .02 percentage, a deficient level that confirmed that the oil did not pass through the proper procedure of importation. 

The fuel shipment was put on hold by the BOC personnel.

Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz commended the personnel who conducted the operations.

“The reports that our intelligence officers generate show the magnitude of how these smuggling operations affect our markets and our people,” he said in a statement.

“They are not slowing down, but neither are we. This is a long and uphill battle, but the agency and our people are well-prepared to finish these activities off,” he added. — Richa Noriega/BM, GMA Integrated News

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