Almost 3,000 sacks of smuggled rice recovered by BOC-Zambo while 10,000 missing

By: Becky D. de Asis

Zamboanga City – Almost 3,000 sacks of smuggled rice recovered at Zamboanga  City private- owned warehouse last Tuesday evening.

Thus 3,000 sacks of rice are among the 20,000 smuggled rice recovered by Philippine Coastguard  in the city last week.

Martinez added, the other missing sacks of rice maybe distributed  already to the markets while others were still the hands of some smugglers and other retailers here in Zamboanga City.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC)  and the National  Bureau of Investigation (NBI) still investigating the incident and to recover the remaining missing smuggled rice.

According to Martinez, he  was  ordered  to Customs Police District Commander Filomino Salazar to safeguard the confiscated smuggled rice   inside  the  three (3) cargo vessels and  not  to allow them  to dispatch the said confiscated  rice without any legal documents presented by them or advice from the office before the incident happened.

But lately Martinez was surprised upon receiving reports  that almost 20,000 sacks of rice was already missing while under the custody of Salazar.

Lately Salazar promised to Martinez to  put-up more police inside the private pier to safeguard the said rice but later he received reports that parts of some smuggled rice were missing.

Immediately Martinez ordered to Salazar relieved from  his post last Tuesday.

Martinez added all  his employee's  are all under investigation and find out  who probably involve the alleged anomaly inside his office.

The Office of BOC filed administrative and Criminal cases against Salazar said Martinez.

Meanwhile, Atty, Moises Tamayo, director of NBI-9, had already a lists of rice traders who possibly involved those missing smuggled rice while under the custody of Customs Police District Commander Filomino Salazar. (By Becky D. de Asis-The Redline News)