MANILA: A sugar importer and customs broker are facing charges for allegedly smuggling P13.5 million worth of sugar into the country.
The owner of AMD Royale Enterprises, Argic Dinawanao, and its customs broker, Steve Semblante, were charged by the Bureau of Complaints for violating the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) for allegedly shipping 260,000 kilograms of sugar without the proper documents and for misdeclaring the shipment as “kitchenware, furniture, stoneware, tableware, and ceramicware.”
The goods were shipped in 10 40-foot container vans that arrived in the Port of Cagayan de Oro City on May 24.
“AMD Royale’s importation of refined sugar without import permit constitute violations of the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s rules that all importers of sugar must have SRA clearance prior to the release of the importation by the Bureau of Customs. Failure to secure an import permit from SRA makes the sugar importation unlawful,” Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina said in a statement.
“We will aggressively pursue the filing of cases against all those involved in smuggling. We cannot afford to lie low on our anti-smuggling campaign as we have to protect the country from the entry of these illegal goods,” he added.