The Bureau of Customs discovered P519 million worth of rice that is believed to have been smuggled and hoarded as the operatives conducted inspections in four warehouses located in Bulacan.

According to the BOC, the raid happened after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the agency to intensify the campaign against rice hoarding and smuggling in the country.

Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said that they had a sectoral meeting with Marcos, who gave them a clear order about how they could stop the rising cost of rice in the market.

The inspection occurred in the warehouses of Wakas, Bocaue, and San Juan, Balagtas, as part of the BOC’s efforts to prevent rice smuggling.

During the inspection, the BOC found 154,000 sacks of imported rice grains and 60,000 sacks of palay in the mentioned warehouses, which came from Vietnam and Pakistan.

For the time being, the warehouses have been padlocked and secured while the assigned customs examiners complete an inventory of the imported products stored inside.

Meanwhile, the BOC plans to inspect 20 other warehouses in Metro Manila and Central Luzon that have been claimed to hold thousands more bags of allegedly illegal rice.