Customs asked to donate seized gun parts, ammunition

THE Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC) in Cebu City is asking the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to donate P3.5 million worth of seized gun parts and ammunition to the police.

Eugene Elizalde, PCAC chairperson, said the council agreed during its meeting yesterday  to write the Department of Justice (DOJ) to ask that the seized items be donated without waiting for the resolution of a pending case against its consignee.

The gun parts, night-vision telescopes and 8,000 bullets for an AK47 riffle were confiscated by BOC in November 2011 after these were misdeclared as household goods.

These were reportedly consigned to a certain Robert Granthom of California, USA. Granthom reportedly owns a house in Cebu City.

“We would like to ask DOJ to allow the donation of these items to the city so these can be used by the police,” Elizalde said.

Senior Supt. Melvin Buenafe, Cebu City police director, said in an earlier interview that the seized gun parts and bullets would be useful to the city’s Special Weapons and Tactic (Swat) team and other special units who are in the forefront of responding to emergency situations./CHIEF OF REPORTERS DORIS C. BONGCAC AND CORRESPONDENT JOSE SANTINO S. BUNACHITA