KUALA LUMPUR: The Bureau of Customs Intelligence Group (BOC-IG) seized nine container vans loaded with smuggled white sugar at the Port of Manila (POM) after an inspection on Monday. The confiscated goods, found in nine 40 footer container vans, have an estimated value of P10 million that is yet to be fully paid by consignee Lucky Sapphire Trading, the BOC said in a statement.
The shipments were declared as steel tube scaffolding. The container vans arrived at the POM on August 11, and filed and paid an entry fee at the Foodstuff and Beverage section, the BOC said. The questionable filing procedure and a prior intelligence report prompted the BOC–IG to issue an alert order on the shipment.
The Office of the Commissioner issued a special stop order against the release of the shipments, after the container vans were cleared to be released. The inspection revealed that the shipment contained refined white sugar from Malaysia.
Apart from misdeclaration, the consignee was found to have paid only P535,330 for the shipment, far from the estimated value of the confiscated goods, the BOC said. BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon has vowed to stop smuggling under his leadership.
