3 CHARGED WITH ECONOMIC SABOTAGE IN P260-M SMUGGLED RICE

BUREAU of Customs legal service acting director Atty. William Balayo on Monday  led the filing of  economic sabotage raps against three importers for large scale smuggling or R.A. 10845 or the  Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.

The cases were in connection with confiscation of sacks of suspected smuggled rice estimated to be worth P260 million from four warehouses raided by  BOC personnel in Bulacan.

 In a report,  BOC agents confiscated some 236,571 sacks of smuggled rice found in four warehouses.

The four criminal complaints involve violations of Republic Act (R.A.) 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), and R.A. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law. 

Among the total cases filed, three pertain to large scale smuggling which violates R.A. 10845, known as the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act. the BOC Bureau Action Team Against Smuggling (BATAS) filed four cases of smuggling before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against suspected rice smugglers in Bulacan and one case due to departure from the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) under Agricultural Product Smuggling or violations of Republic Act (R.A.) 10863, in R.A. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law.