Customs authorities seized more than 8,000 bags of smuggled rice worth at least P20 million in a recent raid on a warehouse at Cresda Ville Subdivision in Barangay San Juan, Taytay, Rizal.
Bureau of Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon said the rice was illegally imported without the required permits from the Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority.
“The raid was in unison with our heightened efforts to stop all forms of agricultural smuggling, as provided in Republic Act 10845 (the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016) and in full compliance with the policy of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Inter-Agency Task Force,” Faeldon said.
The task force is composed of officers from Customs, NFA, DA, and Office of the Cabinet Secretary under the Office of the President.
Faeldon said the bureau will file smuggling charges against the owner of the rice. “We are tightly looking into this case as one of the incidents that economic sabotage charges will be filed at the Department of Justice, should evidence warrant it.”
BoC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Director Neil L. Estrella identified the warehouse owner as Bernadette Ang.
“We are currently tracing the point of origin of the seized rice, since Ms. Ang has not presented import documents that will justify the legality of the importation into the country,” Estrella said.
He said the raid was fully coordinated and supported by representatives of the DA, the National Bureau of Investigation, and officials of the barangay. The warehouse was padlocked and is now under the watch of BoC agents.