Customs seizes P20-M rice smuggled from China

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday confiscated twelve container vans carrying imported rice from China.

The BOC earlier said the forty-footer container vans were initially suspected to be carrying smuggled rice from Vietnam. However, during the operation at the South Harbor, port of Manila on Tuesday, the vans were discovered to contain imported rice from China worth around P20 million.

The shipment arrived at the Manila port on Aug. 20, and was declared as leatherette. However, inspection revealed thousand of sacks of rice.

Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said personnel alerted the BOC Command Center on Oct. 4 after seeing suspicious images captured by CCTV cameras.

"Nung nalaman nilang (smugglers) si-nieze namin at inalert namin, inabandon agad [ang shipment]," Faeldon said.

According to the BOC, the shipment was consigned to RPR International Trading in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Faeldon has ordered the suspension of the consignee's accreditation as an importer. He assured the public that these smugglers will be sanctioned and can no longer sneak goods into the country.

The BOC commissioner claimed that this is the first time an importer attempted to smuggle rice of this value into the country through the port of Manila.

After the rice seizure, Faeldon said he is considering donating the confiscated rice to government agencies assigned to hand out relief goods to victims of Typhoons Karen and Lawin. 

—Rosette Adel