The Muntinlupa police has finally released what it earlier claimed as 120 questionable sacks of sugar it seized from a delivery truck more than two weeks ago.
This developed after the Bureau of Customs confirmed that the delivery which consisted of 6,000 kilos of sugar was legal. It was found belonging to a multi-purpose cooperative based in Negros Occidental.
Superintendent Alfredo Valdez, Muntinlupa Police chief, said after verification with the BOC, an official of the agency, lawyer Marlon Agaceta said the sugar delivery has the necessary papers allowing its transport. Agaceta is with the Run After Smuggling office of the BOC.
“It was a certain Atty. Marian Mercado who came to the police station so the sugar can be taken back,” Valdez said. Mercado is the representative of the Dos Hermanas Multi-purpose Cooperative based in Talisay, Negros Occidental.
On April 11, elements of the Muntinlupa Police flagged down the truck loaded with sugar in one of the checkpoints set up in the city. Truck driver Arnie Orbeta, 33, however, showed police authorities a questionable delivery permit, was intercepted by traffic policemen in a checkpoint in Daang Hari in Barangay Ayala-Alabang. The policemen said they noticed that the vehicle’s plate number has been tampered. They also found out that Orbeta was driving without a license.
Asked of a delivery permit for the transport of a truckload of white and brown sugar, Orbeta showed them a paper that did not indicate the commodity’s origin and only noted that it will be delivered somewhere in Cavite.
The police initially filed a case of driving without license against Orbeta while the truck of sugar was held at the police station. — Rhodina Villanueva