P11 Million Worth of Smuggled Coffee Beans and Corned Beef Seized at Manila Port

December 06: The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Friday seized six containers of smuggled coffee beans, corned beef and used clothing estimated to be worth more than P11 million [over $216k USD] at the Manila International Container Port.

Of the six containers, five were filled with bags of Arabica coffee beans from Hong Kong and cans of corned beef from Brazil. The remaining container full of second-hand clothes were from South Korea.

The food products were declared as a textile auxiliary, catsup, and crackers while the clothes were listed as brand-new items as the BOC prohibits the importation of used clothing.

The bureau said the seized containers arrived in the country on separate dates.

The food items were consigned to JL Twins Enterprises while the used clothing was registered to FiveJhoch Enterprises.

The bureau said the shipments violated the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as well as the BOC policy which prohibits the importation of used clothing.

According to the BOC, the confiscated food products will be subjected to forfeiture proceedings due to lack of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permit, while the used clothing has yet to be determined whether it will be donated or auctioned off to the public.

“If there is some way that the FDA can guarantee the safety of these products, we can either sell it through auction or donate it” Vincent Philip Maronilla, BOC assistant commissioner, said. 

Source: Philipine Yahoo News / Robie de Guzman

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