In the Philippines, the Bureau of Customs has filed criminal charges against four trading firms and their brokers for their alleged involvement in the smuggling of onions and garlic from China. Flevo Trading, GBJ Consumer Goods Trading and JDFallar Consumer Goods Trading were charged for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and other pertinent laws and regulations.
The customs brokers who processed the importation of the subject smuggled agricultural products are also facing administrative complaints before the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). The BOC- Bureau’s Action Team Against Smugglers (BOC-BATAS) led the filing of the criminal complaints before the Department of Justice.
Flevo Trading was charged for the alleged unlawful importation and misdeclaration of four shipments, declared as “Fresh Yellow Onions and Garlic” but were found to have mis-declared weight that was beyond the total allowable importation in their import permits. This act was uncovered last July 14 and 16 during an inspection of the shipments at the Manila International Container Port.
Source: businessmirror.com.ph
