4 rice traders convicted for agricultural smuggling

MANILA, Philippines — Four rice traders were found guilty of agricultural smuggling just as the government moves to address one of the persistent problems in the sector.

Convicted of violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act by the 3rd Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) of Orion-Pilar in Bataan were four individuals who had transported smuggled rice into the province.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said the incident happened in February of last year when the vessel, LCT Yellow River, was apprehended and multiple trucks were found discharging and loading smuggled rice and cigarettes at the Orion Dockyard.

Consequently, the BOC’s Action Team against Smugglers filed criminal cases before the MCTC, the regional trial court and the Court of Tax Appeals against the four suspects.

In finding them guilty, the MTC sentenced all four accused to imprisonment of at least three years and six months up to a maximum of four years and eight months.

Following the conviction, Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz said the BOC will continue to ramp up its efforts against the smuggling of agricultural products and other commodities.

From January to early August this year, the BOC has recorded 66 cases of seizures of agricultural products worth P701.82 million.

Agricultural smuggling deprives the government of lawful revenues and affects locally produced farm products since these cannot compete with illegally imported ones due to pricing.
Earlier, Ruiz said that addressing agricultural smuggling would not only protect local farmers but also ensure food safety for all Filipinos.