P.5-M banned Taiwan shrimp seized in Malabon

Maritime police intelligence agents seized a truckload of imported shrimp from Taiwan in an operation last Thursday at the Malabon City fish market.

At least 1,750 kilos of whiteleg shrimp or suahe, with a market value of P525,000, placed inside an Isuzu closed van (RDC-106), was seized by the officers at around 8:30 p.m.

Inspector Melvin Laguros, Maritime police intelligence and investigation section chief, said that the imported shrimp was owned by a certain So Shien, a Taiwanese national.

"Shien is the importer and owner of the seized shrimp cargo. He remains at large and is being sought by our operatives," Laguros told The STAR.

SPO2 Jose Castillo said that last July, they received information that hundreds of boxes of banned shrimp imports have been flooding the Malabon City market daily.

But when police started to investigate them, the deliveries to the Malabon market stopped abruptly, Castillo said.

Last Friday, the Maritime police found out that deliveries have resumed prompting them to conduct an operation that resulted in the seizure of the illegal shipment.

The truck driver, Renato Canindog, 31, a resident of Valenzuela City, was arrested with his two helpers.

Laguros said the importation or culture of whiteleg shrimp, scientifically known as litopenaeus vannamei, is "strictly prohibited" for the specie carries a virus that could infect locally produced shrimp.

Violators, he said, could be imprisoned of up to eight years and fined P80,000 as penalty.