BOC seizes more than P100M worth of misdeclared agri goods from China

Subic Bay Freeport – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Subic has seized over P100 million worth of misdeclared agricultural products from China, discovered inside 10 containers during an inspection on Tuesday.

According to the BOC, the containers, part of a larger batch that arrived in June, contained frozen mackerel, carrots, and white onions. These shipments were initially inspected by the Department of Agriculture (DA), led by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel.

In a joint operation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the BOC inspected the 10 containers on Tuesday. Officials clarified that while the DA previously reported 59 questionable containers, the actual number is 52, citing overlapping Alert Order references and clerical errors in the Bill of Lading numbers.

Of these, seven containers were subjected to 100 percent examination and cleared for release, with no discrepancies or violations found prior to the receipt of DA’s respective alert orders. Another 14 containers were also thoroughly examined and similarly cleared.

Meanwhile, 31 containers remain under Customs custody due to failed examinations, primarily because the consignee or DA-IE representatives were absent at the designated cold storage warehouses. This count includes the 10 containers inspected on Tuesday.

In a separate move, three more containers consigned to Queenstar were flagged under different Alert Orders. Upon inspection, they were found to contain misdeclared agricultural products and were subsequently issued Warrants of Seizure and Detention (WSD).

The seized products, carrots and frozen mackerel, violated several importation and agriculture-related regulations, the BOC said.