Smuggled carrots seized at Port of Manila

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) on Sunday captured smuggled fresh carrots worth P7 million hidden behind cartons of noodles inside four shipping containers at the Port of Manila.

This was discovered during a joint inspection by the BoC, the DA’s Inspectorate and Enforcement Office, and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) at the port.

The smuggled carrots were declared as assorted processed food products such as egg noodles, flat noodles, soya wrappers, fish tofu, and wakame salad by the single consignee.

According to the DA, inspectors also found the carrots to be showing signs of mold, decay, and root damage, rendering them unfit for human consumption.

The carrots were forfeited for violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. The DA and BPI are conducting further profiling to identify those responsible for the smuggling and are preparing charges.

The licenses, registrations, and accreditations of those responsible are subject to revocation, and the consignee could be blacklisted from the import trade. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza