BoC busts illicit farm imports
THE Bureau of Customs seized P7.7 million worth of misdeclared fresh carrots hidden inside four container vans at the Port of Manila, the latest bust in its crackdown on agricultural smuggling that bleeds local farmers dry. The inset shows the contraband.
PHOTOGRAPHS courtesy of boc/fb page
The Bureau of Customs (BoC) intercepted misdeclared agricultural goods worth P7.7 million after uncovering shipments of fresh carrots concealed in four container vans at the Port of Manila.
THE Bureau of Customs seized P7.7 million worth of misdeclared fresh carrots hidden inside four container vans at the Port of Manila, the latest bust in its crackdown on agricultural smuggling that bleeds local farmers dry. The inset shows the contraband.
PHOTOGRAPHS courtesy of boc/fb page
The shipments, declared as assorted food products, including egg noodles, flat noodles, soya wrappers, fish tofu, and wakame salad, arrived at the Port of Manila in two batches on 22 March and 25 March. Acting on information they received, port authorities issued alert orders against the shipments.
A 100 percent physical inspection conducted by Customs examiners revealed 12,909 boxes of falsely labeled fresh carrots and 1,452 boxes of egg noodles.
Troublesome veggies
The carrots were estimated at P6.97 million, while the egg noodles were valued at approximately P773,557, bringing the total estimated value of the shipments to more than P7.74 million, inclusive of duties and taxes.
Following the discovery, the BoC issued warrants of seizure and detention against the shipments on 11 May and 22 March 2026.
The cargoes were subsequently forfeited in favor of the government for violations of Sections 117 and 1400 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, in relation to Section 1113 of the same law and Republic Act 10845, or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.