P9 million smuggled sugar seized at Port of Manila

Government authorities have seized approximately P9 million worth of smuggled sugar at the Port of Manila, reinforcing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to intensify the fight against agricultural smuggling.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, and SRA Administrator Pablo Azcona inspected four container vans containing 2,000 bags of refined sugar.

Two of the seized containers, originating from Vietnam and declared as "sweetener mix" to avoid higher tariffs, were confirmed by SRA laboratory tests to be refined sugar.

This fraudulent declaration would have cost the government an estimated P1.8 million in import duties, with the consignee, Yabai OPC, having abandoned the shipment.

A separate shipment from Thailand, consigned to Lapaz Multi-purpose Cooperative (LMC), was also seized as LMC lacked the necessary import permit, sugar allocation, and clearance.