BOC, DA foil entry of P8M ‘unlawfully imported’ oranges

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday prevented the entry of “unlawfully imported” oranges into the country.

In a statement, the BOC said the unlawful importation of a shipment from Thailand, consisting of 3,200 cartons of fresh oranges valued at P8.422 million, was foiled at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) after finding that the same is not covered by the required import sanitary clearance from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).

The BOC said the unlawful importation of the subject oranges was halted due to the timely derogatory information shared by DA-BPI that the shipment lacked the mandatory Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC). 

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) director Verne Enciso said that the “derogatory information” his unit has received from the BPI led to the seizure of the shipment.

“This interception highlights the coordination and collaboration among and between key government agencies, and even the various units within the BOC. The information we received was immediately verified by our officers and with the help of agriculture experts, we were able to pin down the cargo,” said Enciso.

Meanwhile, the BOC said representatives from CIIS, the Enforcement and Security Service, the Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force, the X-ray Inspection Project, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) were present during the 100% physical examination of the subject goods. 

The Customs added that the undocumented oranges were subjected to K-9 sweeping by PDEA personnel, “however, no dangerous drugs were found in the shipment.”

The confiscated oranges will be subjected to condemnation proceedings under DA Department Order No. 09, series of 2010, to ensure that said goods do not reach the local market. 

The case records of the subject importation were also referred to the Bureau Action Team Against Smuggling for case build-up and eventual prosecution of personalities behind the halted unlawful importation of agricultural products, as may be warranted by collated evidence, according to the BOC.—Ted Cordero/LDF, GMA Integrated News