Authorities seized around P90 million worth of smuggled sugar and cigarettes at the Port of Manila on Thursday, following a joint inspection conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
The seized contraband included P9 million worth of refined sugar and P81.06 million worth of cigarettes. According to the DA, four container vans containing 2,000 50-kilo bags of refined sugar imported from Thailand were confiscated. The shipment was linked to the Lapaz Multi-purpose Cooperative, based in Roxas City.
Earlier in January, two other container vans carried refined sugar but were declared as sweetener mix. The consignee, Yabai OPC, declared the cargo abandoned.
The smuggled cigarettes, on the other hand, were imported from Taiwan by I and C KR Philippines Manufacturing Corp. and were initially declared as fabric.
“We cannot allow these illicit trading practices to undermine our agriculture sector and harm our farmers, especially those in the sugar industry,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
As a consequence, both Lapaz Multi-purpose Cooperative and Yabai OPC, who are registered as sugar traders and importers, will be blacklisted by the SRA.
