MANILA, Philippines - Some P8 million worth of smuggled Peking duck and assorted frozen seafood from China was apprehended by operatives of the Presidential Anti Smuggling Group (PASG) in North, Harbor Manila.
PASG chief Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr. said the cargo, loaded in a 20-footer container van, was spirited out of Manila International Container Port before midnight last weekend – reportedly by Bureau of Customs officials working with smugglers.
He said the cargo entered into the country illegally without an import permit from the Department of Agriculture.
The cargo was recovered by PASG operatives at the yard of Gothong Shipping Lines in North Harbor, Manila.
Villar said some armed men identifying themselves as Customs employees wanted to take back the seized cargo.
Villar ordered a thorough investigation to unmask the armed men who nearly botched the PASG operation. – Paolo Romero