More smuggled sugar seized

Author/Source: visayan daily star

07/13/2010

Operatives of the Sugar Anti-Smuggling Office, the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Customs seized suspected smuggled sugar in two raids in Cebu recently, the Sugar Alliance of the Philippines reported yesterday.

A raid conducted on a warehouse in Mandaue City, Cebu, resulted in the confiscation of stocks of sugar apparently smuggled from Thailand, the SAP press release said. The team also raided another warehouse in Mabolo, Cebu City, where the stocks of sugar confiscated are now with the BoC for proper disposition, the SAP report said. A third raid on another warehouse on the same day, however, was not as successful as the stocks of smuggled sugar had already been disposed of when the team arrived. Empty bags with Thai Roong Ruang (TRR) markings were found inside, it said. Intelligence sources revealed that all of the stocks may have come from a single source. Operatives of the SASO, PNP and the BoC are now validating the information to be the basis for further action, the SAP said. This was the report of the SASO to the Sugar Master Plan Foundation as part of the SMPFI’s coordination and monitoring functions for the development of the sugar industry. The anti-smuggling effort of the industry is aimed at neutralizing the illegal activity which impacts on the marketing of sugarcane coming from the small farmers. These farmers with less than 10 hectares comprise 80 to 85 percent of all sugarcane farms of the country, it added. President Benigno Aquino III has declared all-out support to stamp out smuggling that has a detrimental effect on the economy of the country, the SAP report said. Last Friday’s raids are the most recent successes of the anti smuggling efforts of the sugar industry. It comes on the heels of an interception July 2 of a shipment of smuggled sugar in front of the Negros Navigation Stockyard in Cebu City. The stocks at Pier 5 were reportedly headed for a popular mall of the city for sale to the public, the SAP report said. In the latter half of June, several stores in Central Luzon, particularly in Pampanga and Tarlac, were found to have smuggled sugar in their warehouses, it added.*