EU returns illegal shrimp cargo from China to RP

A multimillion-peso smuggling anomaly that uses the Philippines as the transshipment point for the illegal entry of frozen shrimp from China into the European Union (EU) was uncovered by the National Anti-Smuggling Task Force (NASTF).

NASTF chief Angelo Reyes ordered an investigation into a syndicate of Chinese smugglers and their Filipino accomplices, including some Customs personnel, involved in an attempt last year to smuggle nine containers of frozen shrimp into the European Union.

"Secretary Reyes has ordered a thorough investigation on the matter to prevent the illegal entry of goods which may pose a health risk and to identify the persons liable for this leakage and anomaly," said NASTF spokesman Col. Danilo Servando.

Records show that the illegal shipment was part of a total of 60 container vans from Ningbo, China, that arrived in Manila between March 2003 and July 2003 for a stopover en route to Hamburg, Germany. But the shipment was barred from entering the EU.

The shrimp were found to have high concentrations of a harmful antibiotic known as chloramphenicol that causes aplastic anemia and other potentially fatal diseases.

Servando explained that some unscrupulous exporters from China used their contacts here to make it appear that the shrimp originated from the Philippines and not China, whose exports don’t pass EU standards.

"The shipment was made to appear as having originated in the country to gain entry to Germany because aquatic exports, especially shrimp, from China do not pass the stringent standards set by the EU and to take advantage of the preferential trade perks aquatic exports from the Philippines enjoy in the EU," read a statement from Reyes.

Servando added that the incident had strained the country’s relations with EU member countries, "particularly in exporting our own goods," which pass international and EU standards.

Reyes said the investigation started last year when Bureau of Customs (BOC) commissioner Antonio Bernardo received a note verbale from the European Union through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) alerting him to the smuggling attempt. Bernardo ordered a probe.

A report dated April 28 this year on the initial investigation of the BOC Intelligence and Investigation Service revealed that the note verbale was issued after the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feeds stopped the entry of the hot shrimp.

In his report to Maria Fe Klingert of the DFA Office of European Affairs, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director Malcolm Sarmiento said the shipment was accompanied by fake health certificates with the forged signatures of BFAR officials.

In a letter dated Feb. 5, Sarmiento added that the incident prompted the agency to issue a six-month moratorium on the export of shrimps and prawns from the Philippines from September 2003 to March 18 this year.

The EU banned the use of chloramphenicol in shrimp in 1994. The Delegation of the European Commission to Thailand said the European Union introduced a requirement to test all consignments of shrimp from China, Vietnam and Indonesia for the presence of the illegal substance, and strongly recommended the destruction of affected cargo.

Reyes assured consumers — both here and abroad — that the government is keeping close tabs on agricultural, aquatic and livestock imports from other countries for the health issues these imports may bring.