Bureau of Customs seizes P3-million smuggled onions

MANILA, Philippines - Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Napoleon Morales ordered yesterday the suspension of a firm identified as the consignee of P3 million worth of onions allegedly smuggled from China.

Morales instructed BOC-Manila International Container Port (MICP) District Collector Adelina Molina to Wellcross Freight Corp. under suspension and barred it from having future transactions with the BOC.

Morales said even before the two 40-footer container vans arrived at the MICP last July 25 on board the M/V Baltic Strait, they were informed the contents of the shipment would not match the bill of lading, which stated the vans would contain mattresses and pillows.

During a scheduled spot check yesterday by the BOC-Enforcement Group, headed by Deputy Commissioner Horacio Suansing Jr., they discovered that the reefer containers were filled with onions.

Morales also told Molina to determine if there were BOC personnel who assisted in the smuggling of the onions.

Gregorio Marajas, Bureau of Plant Industry-Plant Quarantine Service (BPI-PQS) MICP officer- in-charge, said their office has not been issuing permits for importation of onions since January because there has been an oversupply of the product locally and there is no need to import onions from other countries.

He said there had been several attempts to smuggle onions into the country. “During the months of June and July alone, we apprehended 25 container vans here at the MICP. The cargo mostly came from India and China,” Marajas said.

Morales said the confiscated onions would be condemned and not sold in the local market.