Traders, et al. face drug raps at DOJ for shipment of P6.4-B shabu
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed drug raps against two traders and seven others in connection with the P6.4-billion drug shipment last May.
Facing a complaint for violation of Section 4 (Importation of Dangerous Drugs and/or Controlled Precursors and Essential Chemicals) of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are Taiwanese nationals Chen I. Min and Jhu Ming Jyun; Chinese nationals Chen Ju Long (or Richard Tan/Richard Chen) and Li Guang Feng; and Filipino nationals Fidel Anoche Dee, Dong Yi Shen (or Kenneth Dong), Customs broker Mark Ruben G. Taguba II, Teejay A. Marcellana and Eirene May A. Tatad.
“Subjects, through their indispensable cooperation, caused the importation of five wooden crates from China,” the letter complaint stated.
On the other hand, Li, Dong and Taguba are facing a separate complaint for Unauthorized Practice of Customs Broker Profession under Section 28 of Republic Act 9280 or the Customs Brokers Act of 2004.
“Verification conducted with the Professional Regulations Commission revealed that subjects Li, Dong and Taguba are not registered Customs brokers,” the NBI said.
The crates, which were recovered inside the warehouse of Hongfei Logistics Group of Companies in Valenzuela, contained 605 transparent plastic bags of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.
Hongfei is an international freight forwarder who receives shipment at its warehouse in China and books the shipment to the Philippines. It was registered with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Client Profile Registration System but its registration has expired on July 12, 2014.
However, the NBI, in its investigation, said Hongfei continued to operate and transact with the BOC.
Hongfei, the NBI said, had tapped the service of Li to handle the release of goods from the BOC. Li, on the other hand, asked Dong to find a Customs broker to handle the importation of his client.
Dong then found Taguba who agreed to act as a broker for the importation of Li’s clients for the price of P190,000.
Dong, in turn, would charge P5,000 to P10,000 on top of the P190,000.
On May 17, 2017, Marcellana lodged the details of the shipment in the BOC and entered EMT Trading as the importer or consignee for the shipment.
Taguba availed of the services of Marcellana for the processing of the shipments of EMT Trading from China.
Tatad, according to the complaint, allowed Taguba to use the business name of EMT as importer.
The shipment was assigned a “green lane” tag by the Selectivity System of the BOC, thus, no physical inspection and further documentary examination was required pursuant to Customs Memorandum Order 28-2003.
On May 23, 2017, the shipment was released from the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and was delivered to Hongfei warehouse.
The respondents, except for Marcellana and Tatad, were the subject of an immigration look-out bulletin order (ILBO) issued by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II early this month.
Aguirre said the issuance of an ILBO is a prudent thing to do to “at least monitor the itineraries of the flight, travel and or whereabouts of the said person considering the gravity of the offenses possibly committed.”
The shipment of the P6.4-billion worth of shabu has opened a can of worms from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) after Taguba revealed allegations of corruption from the agency. It has been the subject of Congressional inquiry. JE
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