Customs commissioner Isidro Lapena inspects 1 of 200 containers containing Thailand white rice estimated to be worth 250 million pesos which the bureau confiscated at the Manila International Container Port in Tondo, Manila due to no importation permit from the National Food Authority. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE/INQUIRER
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has intercepted 200 containers containing some 100,000 sacks of Thailand white rice, estimated to be worth P250 million, at the Manila International Container Port.
According to Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena, who presented the shipments to the media on Thursday, it was the biggest rice smuggling intercepted by the bureau since he assumed post.
The shipments, which were consigned to a certain Sta. Rosa Farm Products Corp., did not have the necessary permits from the National Food Authority (NFA), he said.
He added that the necessary taxes and duties to import the shipments were also unpaid.
The intercepted rice may be auctioned out within five to 10 days, with the assistance of the NFA.
Meanwhile, the BOC also destroyed P22 million-worth of smuggled goods, including fake cigarettes, office supplies, clothing and shoes apparel, among others. /muf