CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — Smuggled onions with an estimated market value of P20 million have been seized by personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Northern Mindanao.
The onions, which came from China, arrived at the Mindanao Container Terminal port in Misamis Oriental on Dec. 21, according to Justin Roman Geli, chief of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) based at the Cagayan de Oro port district.
The shipment in two shipping containers was declared as bread and pastries, Geli said.
The onions, weighing approximately 50 kilos, were reportedly consigned to Asterzenmed Inc.
BOC-Northern Mindanao district collector Alexandra Lumontad issued a pre-lodgement control order against the shipment following a joint request from the CIIS and the Customs’ Enforcement and Security Service.
Lumontad warned unscrupulous people from defrauding the government of income, saying they would face the full force of the law.