Alleged smuggling king 'David Tan' meets with De Lima

MANILA, Philippines - The alleged rice smuggling king from Davao hiding behind the alias "David Tan" met with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday morning.

De Lima said Davidson Bangayan, whom the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) identified as financier of smuggling activities, denied that he is the notorious David Tan.

Update: Alleged smuggler 'David Tan' arrested after meeting De Lima

Bangayan said his trade involves scrap metals.

Moreover, Bangayan vowed to aid authorities in the ongoing investigation on the large-scale illegal operations that have cost the government P1.3 trillion in revenues the past decade.

De Lima referred Bangayan to the NBI to make the denial formal, adding that he cannot be arrested without a court warrant.

Rice smugglers are said to have connections within the Bureau of Customs and in government agencies to earn protection over bogus cooperatives used to gain control over rice imports.

Tan was said to be giving as much as P6 billion to Customs officials as bribe.

A month ago, De Lima admitted that the NBI met a dead-end in the investigation to identify the man behind the alias.

Yesterday, however, the justice secretary announced that the NBI is  tracking down a certain Davidson Bangayan, a Chinese Filipino businessman.

Read: De Lima: Davao rice smuggling king is real | NBI hit over failure to arrest 4 rice smugglers

De Lima said Tan is not a fictitious persona and that state investigators already possess his address and knows business entities he operates.

Duterte, who is also conducting an investigation on smuggling in his city, vowed to crack down on the illegal trading.