Frozen mackerel? Customs' super x-ray machines see smuggled ducks

An attempt to smuggle some P40 million worth of Peking ducks and pigeons was foiled by Customs officials last Tuesday at the Port of Manila, thanks to the agency’s “hi-tech” x-ray scanners. “The importer may have underestimated the capabilities of our x-ray machines and thought that they would be able to get away with their illegal trade by concealing their hot shipment behind the pile of boxes of frozen mackerel inside the reefer vans,” said Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon on Thursday. Biazon had earlier said that the bureau's capability to detect misdeclarations and misclassifications has improved significantly through its enhanced X-ray program.   BOC X-Ray Project head Lourdes Mangaoang said their ”scanners are three times more powerful than the ones being used in the US.”   The ducks and pigeons were contained in two forty-foot vans consigned to Hexa Trading, Biazon said. According to Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang, head of the Customs’ X-Ray Inspection Project (XIP), the vans were scanned by their operatives in compliance with Biazon’s instruction to subject all refrigerated vans to x-ray scanning in preparation for the holiday season.   “With the way the Peking ducks and pigeons were stuffed, the intention to illegally sneak these frozen food products into the country is obvious. Had it not been for our high-tech x-ray machines, Hexa Trading may have succeeded in its smuggling attempt,” she said. The Bureau of Customs takes pride in its modern x-ray scanners, and has cited them in the past for significantly improving the success rate of detecting smuggled items. Biazon vowed to go after Hexa Trading for smuggling violations. “We will also sue the officials of this company for violations of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP),” he said.   Peking ducks and pigeons are banned imports because of precautionary measures against avian flu. The confiscated Peking ducks and pigeons, meanwhile, will be destroyed. — KBK, GMA News