P2 million worth of smuggled onions seized in Tondo raid
Onions. INQUIRER.net stock photo
MANILA, Philippines — Customs authorities seized almost P2 million worth of illegally imported white onions during a raid in a warehouse in Tondo, Manila over the weekend.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said they found 1,147 bags of white onions inside the DNR Building along Sto. Cristo Street in Tondo last Friday.
The raiding team failed to find the building owner or building administrator but asked two barangay officials to receive the letter of authority issued by Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz.
The BOC said representatives from the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) verified that the seized white onions were illegally imported since no permit was presented during the raid.
The seized onions were turned over to DA-BPI, it added. Apart from the BOC and DA-BPI, the raiding team were assisted by operatives from the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Coast Guard, among others.
