Taguba, 8 others face more charges in P6.4-B shabu case
MANILA, Philippines — Customs "fixer" Mark Taguba and eight others are facing additional charges over the P6.4-billion shabu shipment that slipped past the Bureau of Customs in 2017.
The Department of Justice has found probable cause to indict Taguba and the following for violations of the three provisions under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA):
- Eirene Mae Tatad
- Teejay Marcellana
- Chen Ju Long alias “Richard Tan,” “Richared Chen”
- Fidel Anoche Dee
- Chen I. Min
- Jhu Ming Jyun
- Li Guang Feng alias “Manny Li”
- Dong Yi Shen alias “Kenneth Dong”
Several unidentified people were also indicted in the case.
They are facing charges for misdeclaration, misclassification and undervaluation of goods declaration; unlawful importation or exportation and facilitating the transportation of articles and imported in violation of the law of the CMTA.
Tatad, Taguba, Marcellana, Chen, Li and Dong all the Bureau of Customs’ allegations “that they conspired and participated in the importation of dangerous drugs from China.”
Other respondents failed to submit their counter-affidavits, according to the DOJ.
'No merit in respondents' claim'
The DOJ, in its resolution, said that it did not find any merit on the respondent’s claim that the shipment that the signed only showed the importation of “cutting boards, footwears, kitchenwares and ‘moulds.’”
“For, documents would not recite the clandestinely imported goods. The dangerous drugs were concealed with legally imported merchandise on the chance that the former could escape detection,” the DOJ said.
The Justice department also said that the respondents’ defense that they were not aware that the shipment contained drugs “deserves scant consideration.”
“What matters is that they committed act/s which has a vital connection to the chain of conspiracy, that without such act, the unlawful importation would be unsuccessful,” the resolution read.
The resolution was penned by Assistant State Prosecutor Charlie Guhit.
Taguba and others in the case are also facing violation of Republic Act 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 over the importation of the same shipment before the Manila regional trial court. — Kristine Joy Patag
- Latest
- Trending
