We never thought a smuggling bust would be so sweet.
Following an inspection at the Port Area on Mon, Aug 22, the Bureau of Customs confiscated around PHP10 million (US$214,972) worth of smuggled white sugar.
The contraband — which was loaded in nine 40-footer shipping containers —was discovered by the BOC Intelligence Group.
The declared contents of the said containers, which arrived at the Manila port on Aug 11, were steel tube scaffolding from China. However, the authorities got suspicious when the consignee, Lucky Sapphire Trading, filed and paid an entry fee at the foodstuff and beverage section.
“The questionable filing procedure prompted the BOC to issue an alert order on the shipment. Apart from misdeclaration, the consignee was also found to have paid only PHP535,330 for the shipment, far from the estimated value of the confiscated goods,” reports Evelyn Macairan in The Philippine Star.
In light of these smuggling incidents, BOC chief Nicanor Faeldon has ordered the installation of closed-circuit television cameras at the BOC main office in Port Area, Manila, and other major ports in the country.
Faeldon hopes that the CCTV cameras will help flush out corrupt Customs officials and personnel.
