P37M worth of smuggled garlic from China seized at Manila port

Over P37 million worth of smuggled garlic from China was seized at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Friday.

 

In a statement, the Customs Bureau said it issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention for five 40-foot refrigerated container vans with 125 metric tons (125,000 kilograms) of garlic after it was found that they had no sanitary import clearance from the Department of Agriculture.

 

The garlic, which arrived in two batches last June 12, was shipped by Jining Shuntianli Import and Export Co. Ltd. of Shandong, China, the bureau said.

 

It was consigned to Mc Jayson International Trading, which last week denied owning the shipments.

 

Other garlic shipments

Meanwhile, the BOC said it also held back 19 other 40-foot container vans of garlic that arrived at MICP in seven separate shipments between May and June for lack of import permits.

 

On Thursday, it filed charges against Good Earth Merchandise and licensed Customs broker Antonio Castro Enriquez, who were allegedly involved in the illegal importation of over 100 metric tons of garlic worth P30 million last month.

 

Lack of import permits from the Agriculture Department is a violation of Presidential Decree No. 1433, or "Promulgating the Plant Quarantine Law of 1978, Thereby Revising and Consolidating Existing Plant Quarantine Laws to Further Improve and Strengthen the Plant Quarantine Service of the Bureau of Plant Industry." 

 

Section 3 of the order noted imported plants and plant products are "subject to such quarantine orders, rules and regulations" from the department. 

 

Malacañang has directed concerned agencies to check if seized garlic is being sold in the local market, the bureau said. – Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/VS, GMA News