Smuggling raps filed vs 3 importers

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Thursday charged three importers, their customs brokers and a lawyer with smuggling before the Department of Justice, accusing them of trying to bring in rice and assorted chemicals worth P18 million without the necessary import permits.

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said the move by his office was “a clear signal to all smugglers that the Philippines is not a place for their business.”

He added, “These attempts to bring into the country illegally imported rice are not intended to fill in a demand or shortage, but simply to exploit the high demand for (rice) to the detriment, of course, of our local farmers.

“The days of smugglers at the BOC, especially those involved in the illegal importation of agricultural products, are numbered.”