The Department of Agriculture for Inspectorate and Enforcement (DA-IE) confiscated smuggled fishery products during a raid of the Icy Point Cold Storage Processing Corporation at 1485 Lapu-Lapu Corner North Bay Blvd., Navotas, Metro Manila on May 26, 2023. Three storage personnel were also apprehended.
The raid was conducted in response to the information received by the Department regarding the alleged illegal sale of frozen golden pompano to the general public, and a test-buy operation on May 24, 2023, where DA-IE was able to purchase a box containing 10 kilograms of the said fish for Php 2,400.00.
After receiving samples for laboratory testing, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) certified that the confiscated products were not given a Certificate of Necessity (CNI) or a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance.
Following this development, the DA-IE in partnership with the BFAR, PNP- CIDG, and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted the joint raid operation, resulting to the confiscation of 99 boxes of golden pompano, 114 boxes of frozen Pangasius fillet, 33 boxes of deep sea golden pomfret, 144 boxes of frozen round scad, 133 boxes of salmon head, 22 boxes of salmon belly, and 14 boxes of salmon whole. The smuggled products have an accumulated value of P1.5 million.
According to DA Assistant Secretary James Layug, the Department will ensure that the storage facility will be shut down, while its owners will be held accountable for trading smuggled agri-fishery commodities.
“It is clear that they violated the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act (R.A. 10845), Food Safety Act of 2013 (R.A. 10611), and BFAR FAO 195,” he said.
“The seized commodities lack the necessary clearances from the appropriate Food Safety Regulatory Agency (FSRA). Food safety remains to be one of the DA’s major concerns, and selling fishery products in the market could endanger public health.” Asec Layug added.
The inter-agency action is in accordance with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to strengthen the Department’s fight against agricultural smuggling to guarantee food safety and food security. ### (DA-IE)
