The Bureau of Customs seized illegally imported vegetables, frozen meat, chicken, fish and cigarettes from China worth P50 million in separate operations in Tondo and Navotas as well as at the Port of Subic in Zambales province.
Customs agents raided two warehouses located at 920 Asuncion St. Tondo, Manila and in Vifel Storage, North Bay Boulevard, Navotas where they found illegally imported fresh vegetables from China amounting to P35 million.
The warehouse at Tondo yielded smuggled imported commodities that include yellow onions, gingers, red onions, tapioca, flour, sugar, stanchion, cosmetics, and cigarettes (Marlboro, Winston, Mighty, and Winnsboro).
Likewise, the warehouse located at Navotas, Metro Manila, consisting of two storage facilities with a total of 31 cold storage rooms, was holding beef heads, chicken legs, and chicken livers as well as various fruit products.
A Chinese businessman, identified as Lei Tsai, and his associates are allegedly responsible for the illegal importations of the seized commodities and will be investigated for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
At the Port of Subic, five container shipments were inspected and discovered to contain assorted frozen vegetables consigned to Saturnus Corporation.
The shipments were confiscated as the chilled fresh vegetables were not covered by any import clearance from the Department of Agriculture.
The DA does not allow the importation of fresh vegetables from China since there is no pest risk analysis issued for fresh vegetables from the said country.
