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BOC seizes P150M worth of misdeclared sugar at Subic port


The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Friday said its collection district at the Port of Subic has seized over 30,000 sacks of misdeclared refined sugar.

In a statement, the BOC said the misdeclared sugar worth P150 million was seized by authorities on March 2 at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Olongapo City, Zambales.

Port of Subic District Collector Maritess Martin issued Pre-Lodgement Control Orders and Alert Orders following an information from the Department of Agriculture (DA) about the subject shipments, the Customs said.

Acting on the report, Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio with Martin, DA Assistant Secretary James Layug, and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Rolen Paulino, led the examination of 58 containers “which yielded more than 30,000 sacks of misdeclared refined sugar with an estimated value of P150 million.”

The BOC said a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) shall be issued against the subject containers for violation of Section 1400, about Section 1113 (f) of the Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), and Sugar Regulatory Authority and BOC Joint Memorandum Order No. 04-2002.

Further, the Bureau said it examined two containers of squid rings where they found several misdeclared assorted frozen meat products valued at more or less P40 million.

The BOC said it will also issue a WSD against the two containers with misdeclared frozen meat for violation of pertinent provisions of the CMTA.

“The BOC continues to maximize its intelligence resources and intensify enforcement measures to thwart all attempts of smuggling, especially those involving agricultural products that negatively impact our local farmers and businesses,” said Rubio.

“It has always been a priority of the BOC to protect local consumers against the health hazards posed by these illegally imported goods,” he added. — Ted Cordero/RSJ, GMA Integrated News

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