MANILA: The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized shipments of “misdeclared” imported sugar worth P34-million here the other day.
Customs Deputy Commissioner Jessie Dellosa said some 13,200 sacks of Thai sugar in 24 40-foot container vans arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
Twenty-one of the container vans from Beijing, China were consigned to Blue Chelsea, while the three consigned to Real Top Enterprises came from Singapore.
In a statement, the agency said the shipments were misdeclared as different household items like kitchen wares, storage boxes, vacuum flasks, and garments and accessories – shorts, socks, trousers, caps, sunglasses and slippers.
The containers vans were placed on alert status based on a tip, Dellosa said, noting an examination of the shipments revealed sacks of imported Thai sugar concealed behind the boxes. The different items declared in the manifest were “strategically located in front of the container van to hide its true content,” he said.
Dellosa also cited the weight of the shipment, saying plastic items and clothes “… wouldn’t be that heavy.”
Last June, eight 40-footer container vans with illegally imported Thai sugar were intercepted. The shipments were also consigned to Real Top Enterprises.
