A total of P63-million worth of frozen meat products from Hong Kong and China under the consignee Victory JM Enterprise, were seized at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) in Manila following a surprise inspection of container vans carrying the said produce.

An intelligence report received by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Inspectorate and Enforcement (DA I&E) prompted the deployment of a composite team from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Bureau of Customs (BOC) to conduct an inspection on November 23 and 28 respectively.

During the first investigation, two container vans declared to carry frozen prawn balls were discovered to contain frozen chicken paws, frozen boneless beef, Vietnamese Suckling Pig, and Bean Curd Skin instead.

The second investigation revealed two other vans containing frozen beef cheek meat, which was misdeclared as frozen prawn balls.

The Department of Agriculture is currently preparing charges against the people responsible for violating the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016 (R.A. 10845) and Food Safety Act of 2013 (R.A. 10611). ###