The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday said it has filed agricultural smuggling complaints against the captain and crew of a vessel that allegedly carried 4,000 metric tons of smuggled Thailand sugar worth Php 400 million in January.
In a statement, the DA said the Office of the Assistant Secretary for DA Inspectorate and Enforcement (DA IE) formally filed the complaints before the Provincial Prosecutor Office in Batangas just last February 9.
"The ship’s crew, which consists of one Filipino, six Indonesians, and seven Chinese nationals, are now facing agricultural smuggling charges," it said.
On January 13, the DA IE, Bureau of Customs (BOC), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) seized 4,000 MT of smuggled sugar from the MV Sunward vessel in the vicinity of Bauan and Mabini Bay, Batangas.
According to DA IE, the vessel arrived in the country without a notice of arrival from the BOC or even an import permit issued by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
"Although the M/V SUNWARD captain and crew claimed that the vessel was bound for Taiwan, data from the National Coast Watch Center (NCWC) indicated that the contraband was en route to Batangas and that their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder had been turned off within the Spratly Islands," the agriculture department said.
