At least 25 container vans of sugar smuggled out of Misamis Oriental port

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—At least 25 to 30 40-footer container vans of refined sugar were successfully smuggled out of the Mindanao Container Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, last week before authorities seized over a dozen others, according to Customs Deputy Commissioner Jessie Dellosa.

Dellosa made the statement on Friday while inspecting the 16 40-footer container vans of refined sugar, which were seized on May 24 at MCT.

Aside from the smuggled refined sugar valued at about P25.6 million, four other 40-footer container vans containing candies, tea, toys and pipe fittings valued at about P 2.4 million had been seized.

Based on documents, Dellosa said all seized contraband were shipped from China aboard the vessel MV Valdivia.

Customs documents identified the consignee of the seized shipment as AMD Royale Enterprises based in Purok 10, Baloy Highway, Tablon, Cagayan de Oro City. The same documents identified the customs broker as a Steve S. Semblante of Zone 1, 374 Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City.

Dellosa believed the container vans smuggled out prior to the seizures also had the same consignee and broker.

He said the BOC’s Intelligence Group was coordinating efforts with the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to determine where the sacks of sugar that were successfully smuggled out of the MCT last week were being stored.

Owners of warehouses that contained contraband would likewise be charged with smuggling, Dellosa said.

Dellosa said customs officials were also looking into the other import documents submitted by AMD, which had brought in a total of 800 container vans since January.

The importations are also facilitated by the same broker, according to Dellosa.

“We still have to validate whether those were also refined sugar,” Dellosa said, adding the seized vans had been declared “household goods.”

Lawyer Ruby Claudia Alameda, district collector of the Port of Cagayan de Oro, said both the consignee and the customs broker would be charged with violations of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP), specifically for violations of Section 2503 on the “undervaluation, misclassification, and misdeclaration in entry” of the goods seized.

The said shipments were automatically forfeited under the law and would be auctioned off.

Elisa Lao, senior sugar production regulations officer of the SRA, said the volume of the seized smuggled sugar may adversely affect sugar prices to the detriment of sugar planters and millers nationwide.

“If these are auctioned, the SRA may recommend that these be put in reserve and not released to the domestic market,” Lao said.

Lao said that the SRA would also have the contraband sugar tested to see if it was fit for human consumption before auctioning it off. RC