The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has confiscated around P85 million worth of smuggled poultry products from China, discovered in a warehouse in Parañaque City.
The operation was conducted by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) following a Letter of Authority (LOA) issued by BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio.
Authorities found a variety of poultry products in the warehouse that were suspected of evading customs duties and taxes.
Among the items discovered were frozen duck and chicken meat, frozen pork, various frozen food products with Chinese markings, and assorted food and beverages labeled in foreign languages.
“The audacity of these people to smuggle and hide agricultural products right in the heart of Metro Manila is beyond me. They belittle our laws and make a mockery of our hardworking Customs agents by thinking they can operate these illegal activities just a few kilometers from our port,” Rubio said.
“Operations like these are proof of the seriousness of the work we do here and the commitment exemplified by our BOC officers to make those responsible face the law,” the commissioner added.
The BOC has temporarily padlocked and sealed a warehouse to secure confiscated goods.
Warehouse owners have 15 days to present the necessary documentation to refute allegations of hoarding imported agricultural products.
If they fail to provide the required documents, the Bureau will initiate seizure and forfeiture proceedings against the shipments for violating Section 1400 (misdeclaration in goods declaration) and Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of Republic Act No. 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.