The Bureau of Customs (BOC)- Port of Zamboanga (POZ) seized P18.6 million worth of smuggled onions on board a vessel in Brgy Ayala, Zamboanga City, last January 25.

Through the Water Patrol Division, the POZ intercepted 5,611 mesh bags of imported red onions with an estimated market value of P8.5 million and 2,249 mesh bags of imported white onions valued at P10.1 million during a maritime patrol operation.

Contrabands are loaded in a vessel marked “MV Princess Nurdisza,” which allegedly came from Taganak, Tawi-Tawi bound for Brgy. Baliwasan, Z.C.

The crew failed to provide a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance from the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Bureau of Plant Industry for the goods, thus violating Section 1401 of Republic Act (R.A.) 10863, known as the “Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 2016”, concerning R.A. 10845 or the “Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.”

The onions were transported to the Department of Agriculture’s Research Center in Barangay Talisayan, Zamboanga City, for safekeeping.

District Collector Segundo Sigmundfreud Z. Barte, Jr. reported that this apprehension is the third successful seizure of imported onions this week, after the January 22 and 23 operations.

According to District Collector Barte, this is an aggressive campaign under the directive of Commissioner Yogi Filemon L. Ruiz to implement stricter border control measures through continuous maritime patrol operations in Western Mindanao, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order to curb agricultural smuggling in the county.