The Bureau of Customs-Port of Zamboanga (BOC-POZ) forfeited 42,180 sacks of rice worth P42 million following a raid of a warehouse in Brgy. San Jose Gusu, Zamboanga City.
The BOC, assisted by Coast Guard Intelligence Group-Southwestern Mindanao, Task Force Aduana, and Marine Battalion Landing Team 11, and armed with a Letter of Authority signed by Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio, inspected a warehouse in the locality on information there were smuggled rice in one of the stalls there.
An inventory of the warehouse revealed 42,180 sacks of Alas Jasmine fragrant rice.
The warehouse owner’s representative submitted import documents purportedly covering the imported sacks of rice under Section 224 of the Republic Act 10863 more known as the “Customs Modernization and Tariff Act” (CMTA).
Verification of the documents and investigation by the ESS-CPD and CIIS, however, found that the confiscated goods were not covered by a sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) from the Bureau of Plant Industry.
Also, there were discrepancies in the seized goods from what was declared in the documents purportedly covering the same.
Its proof of payment referred to a shipment of “White Rice 15 percent Broken” while on the actual examination the seized rice were Jasmine fragrant rice”.
Consequently, the BOC-POZ issued an order of forfeiture for violation of Section 1113 (f) in relation to Section 117 of the CMTA of 2016, Rice Tariffication Law, and Republic Act No. 10845, otherwise known as the “Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016”.
District collector Arthur G. Sevilla Jr. said the Port of Zamboanga will continue to monitor and act on reports on smuggling in all forms. This is consistent with Commissioner Rubio and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order to go after hoarders and illegal importers of rice.
The forfeited goods will be disposed of in a manner provided for by law.
