60,000 kg of smuggled garlic seized in Batangas

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Philippines—Some 50,000-60,000 kilograms of smuggled garlic were seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) at the Batangas port in Batangas City on Wednesday.

The smuggled products, in two containers, were marked for close watch by the BOC intelligence group since last week after the government received information about the arrival of the hot cargo, according to customs information officer Charo Logarta.

She said the shipment from Taiwan, transported via Hong Kong, arrived in Batangas on Wednesday morning.

Logarta said the shipment appeared “spurious,” with records showing the consignee, Good Earth Merchandising, without any background information except for an address in Cagayan de Oro City.

The shipment was also labeled as cacao beans.

“This will be subjected to examination and valuation,” Logarta said in a phone interview.

Smuggling is costing the government hundreds of billions of pesos in lost revenue every year but authorities appear helpless in putting a stop to it as a result of corruption.