Philippine customs seize pork smugglers
An attempt by criminal syndicates to smuggle banned frozen pork from China worth over €0.5 million into the country, was foiled by Philippine customs.
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service said that the meat, loaded in ten 40-foot container vans was declared as frozen squid and mackerel. The vans, arrived at the city of Manila on three different vessels on different dates.
Customs commissioner Napoleon Morales said, “The illegal meat was found not to be fit for human consumption and would be shipped back to China to spare the government the millions of pesos required to dispose of the meat either by burning or burying. The foiled smuggling attempt was the third in two months, during which Customs operatives have apprehended 24 container vans.”
Local media stated that at least four to seven container vans of illegal meat, usually from China, arrive every other week in Manila’s ports.
In August five 40 foot containers loaded with pork and chicken worth €189,000, were seized by the Philippine police. In addition, some months ago, two container loads of pork reportedly contaminated with the contagious FMD, were intercepted by customs.
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