BOC and Optical Media Board Chairman Edu Manzano yesterday opened at least seven boxes containing the said items that the Customs officers confiscated last February 17.
Mactan Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service supervisor Francis Muñoz said that last February 15, they received a tip about the arrival of these illegal items on one of the major airlines. Muñoz said that they were not able to identify the owner of the cargo as there were different consignees.
In their report, it stated that the consignees were certain Shen, Jeson Garcia, Mimie A, Jam Store and Liomar. Customs have tried to trace the owners of the shipment but no such names exist.
Muñoz said that they have also tried to trace the shipper in Manila but had found out that there was no address that was mentioned in the bill of lading.
But Muñoz said the airline company will not be held liable as they were just merely carriers of the said cargo. They will only be found guilty if there will be enough evidence to prove that they are involved with the smuggling.
Manzano said that the source of the CDs could be in Manila or outside the country, with Manila just being used as a central point of transport. There was no given value to the total haul.
Manzano said that the CDs will be subjected to forensic testing as they have found some marks or coded numbers that may be used to trace the manufacturers of the said CDs.
He also said that the other CDs will also be destroyed. He said that some will also be taken for bidding as these are recyclable and can be made into plastic basins and pails. - Jasmin R. Uy