P18 M in smuggled onions and potatoes seized in Davao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs on Friday seized P18 million worth of onions and potatoes that had been declared as some other agricultural products from China consigned to three Davao companies.

Customs District Collector Martiniano Bangoy said the seized items were in at least 23 40-foot containers consigned to Alvee Trading, D Golden House Trading Co. and Aya Day Trading.

The confiscated goods included P10.9 million in onions that were declared as yeast and shortening by D Golden House Trading. Onions and potatoes are covered by an import ban imposed by the Department of Agriculture.

Some P4.8 million worth of onions had been earlier declared by Aya Day Trading as margarine, Bangoy said, while a total of P3.2 million in potatoes had been declared as lanolin and savory products by Alvee Trading.

Bangoy said the Davao Port has been on alert for imported goods coming from Hong Kong and China, which he described as among the leading sources of smuggled agricultural goods.

“We found the items described in the entry as suspicious, so, we decided to inspect the contents of the containers,” Bangoy said as inspectors opened the 40-footer containers at the Davao port Friday. He said BOC would file administrative and criminal charges against the importers.

The products were carried aboard the vessels MCC Sandiwa, MCC Davao, Mell Springword and Jan from China and MCC Sandigan from Hong Kong.

“We are sending a strong message this time that the Davao Port will not tolerate misdeclared statement and other violations of the country’s anti-smuggling laws,” Bangoy said. “This should send a message to other importers that we do not tolerate this kind of practice.”

He said companies found to have misdeclared their goods would be automatically subjected to seizure proceedings in Court, which would issue the warrant of seizure, and if the parties were found liable, would seize the items in favor of the government.

Bangoy said the BOC has been doing a profiling of the port of origin, and that China and Hongkong have been identified on their watchlist for smuggled agricultural goods. BOC also apprehended similar agriculture goods from China and Hong Kong in September and January last year.