P100-M textiles seized

The Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) has seized some P100 million worth of smuggled textiles in Marikina City late last week.

PASG chief Undersecretary Antonio Villar said in a statement yesterday that his operatives raided a warehouse at the corner of Santan and East Drive streets following intelligence reports indicating that thousands of rolls of textiles smuggled from China had been stocked in it without pertinent documents.

“We discovered that the textiles appeared to be not for disposal and have been stocked there for quite sometime.  We are deepening our investigation on suspicion that the textiles could just be the front for other highly-taxable or banned items,” Villar said.

The unnamed warehouse is owned by a certain Arsenio Tan Chingkoe, who was not around during the raid. He was holding office in an apartment unit in front of the warehouse. The warehouse guard said shipments of textiles arrive at the warehouse regularly. 

“Equally mysterious were the boxes of soy sauce, napkins, catsup, coffee creamer and potato chips which were found at the entrance of the warehouse, some of which were expired. Like the textiles, they were gathering dust and appeared not also for disposal,” Villar said.

“The operation of the warehouse seemed so mysterious that I am of the belief there is something more to this textile smuggling.  Whatever it is, our investigation will soon unlock this mystery,” he added.

The raid was conducted on the strength of a Warrant for Seizure and Detention (WSD) issued against the warehouse whose owner is facing possible criminal charges for underdeclaration or misdeclaration of the goods. – (Paolo Romero, Non Alquitran )