Bulacan Authorities Seize PHP35 Million Worth of Smuggled Frozen Meat in Daring Operation

MANILA – In a daring operation executed on Tuesday, authorities in Meycauayan City, Bulacan, seized contraband frozen meat products with an estimated value of PHP35 million. This significant discovery occurred within two makeshift cold storage facilities in the heart of the Meycauayan Industrial Subdivision, specifically in Barangay Pantoc.

According to a statement released on Wednesday by the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the operation was carried out jointly by the BOC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) and the Department of Agriculture (DA). Director Verne Enciso of the BOC-CIIS divulged that the collaboration between the agencies facilitated the uncovering of this illicit operation.

Upon inspection, both Customs and agriculture officials stumbled upon a vast cache of spoiled frozen meat products, including pork feet, lamb, and chicken skin. These culinary commodities had been ingeniously concealed amidst towering stacks of boxes, while others were discreetly wrapped in plastic coverings. In an unsettling twist, the investigators also unearthed prohibited frozen meat imports from Germany and India, further indicating the nefarious nature of the operation.

A meticulous investigation is currently underway to delve deeper into the intricacies of this clandestine re-packaging endeavor. Enciso emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “The Department of Agriculture’s Inspectorate and Enforcement (DA-IE) and the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) also did an initial evaluation of the meat products and, based on the physical appearance and foul odor thereof, the said meat products are determined to be unfit for human consumption,”

Meanwhile, the BOC noted an additional measure undertaken during the joint inspection—a Letter of Authority (LOA) was implemented. Enciso explained that as the owners or building administrators were conspicuously absent during the service and execution of the LOA, the raiding team resolved to effect the substituted service by proceeding to the homeowners’ association within the subdivision.

In a parallel response to this shocking revelation, Assistant Secretary James Layug, the DA-IE chief, assured the public that the storage warehouses responsible for harboring these illicit goods would be promptly shut down. Moreover, he pledged that the individuals accountable for this brave act would face the full weight of the law. Layug expressed his utmost concern for food safety, highlighting the dangers posed to public health by selling smuggled meat and fishery products in the market.

“The seized commodities lack the sanitary and phytosanitary clearance from the appropriate Food Safety Regulatory Agency (FSRA),” Layug stressed in an official statement. He further affirmed that the DA, under Republic Act 10611, known as the Food Safety Act of 2013, and Republic Act 10845, the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, would initiate legal proceedings against those responsible for this heinous transgression.

This decisive action aligns with the unwavering directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who remains resolute in his commitment to fortify the DA’s battle against agricultural smuggling.

Source: PNA