General Santos customs execs face raps for smuggled cars

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—Customs officials at the Makar port here are facing charges after they cleared a shipment that yielded smuggled cars.

Members of the city police and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) discovered the smuggled cars in a container van that was cleared for release by the customs officials.

Senior Supt. Manuel Cornel, CIDG regional director, told reporters here that police seized the container van at around

7 p.m. on June 20 after receiving intelligence reports that it contained smuggled vehicles.

He said police brought the van to the police camp for investigation and requested customs officials to join the inspection. “But they ignored us,” said Cornel.

Cornel said the CIDG sent three letters to Pendatun Alim, customs port collector here, asking him to send a representative so that the van could be checked.

“We got no reply,” said Cornel. “Instead, he sent his men to the CIDG office asking us to receive and sign a certain document, which contained the result of their investigation,” Cornel said.

The CIDG did not sign the examination report made by the customs officials.

In a report on June 24, acting customs examiner Ansari Saransaman Pundag said the cargo was declared as used chassis, used bonnets, bumpers, used side spoilers and used taillights.

Still in doubt, the CIDG, with the help of the General Santos police and the mayor’s office, applied for a search warrant.

On Wednesday, Executive Judge Oscar Noel issued the warrant to open the container van.

The smuggled cars were consigned to DMA Enterprises with address at Makar Port here.

The opening of the van was witnessed by several journalists, Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio and Senior Supt. Froilan Quidilla, the city police chief.

Upon checking, police found inside the container van a black sports utility vehicle and three Suzuki right-hand-drive cars.

Many tires, some with rims, were also found inside used as protective padding for the cars.

“I already informed Customs chief Ruffy Biazon about it,” Mayor Custodio said. Aquiles Z. Zonio, Inquirer Mindanao