Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 17) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has filed agricultural smuggling cases against the captain and crew of a vessel suspected to have smuggled around ₱400 million worth of sugar to the Philippines.
In a statement Friday, the DA Inspectorate and Enforcement (IE) said authorities caught the MV Sunward carrying 4,000 metric tons of refined sugar from Thailand in January.\r
DA Assistant Secretary James Layug confirmed that the case is now pending with the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Batangas for preliminary investigation.\r
READ: ₱261-M worth of smuggled sugar seized in Batangas BOC
The DA IE said the cargo ship lacked the import permit issued by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and the notice of arrival from the Bureau of Customs (BOC).\r
Upon discovery last month, the BOC said Port of Batangas District Collector Rhea Gregorio issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention, citing violations against the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, and the Food Safety Act of 2013.\r
At that time, the BOC estimated the shipment to be worth ₱261 million. It’s not clear why the DA’s latest statement puts the cost of the smuggled sugar at around ₱400 million.\r
The ship’s crew consists of one Filipino, six Indonesian and seven Chinese nationals.\r
