Subic Bay Freeport – Six Bureau of Customs Port of Subic officials were relieved from their positions amid ongoing investigation regarding sugar smuggling in the Subic Freeport.
The BOC Commissioner issued a memorandum transferring the six officials to his office until the result of the investigation is finished.
The six relieved officials were BOC Port of Subic District Collector Maritess Martin: Deputy Collector for Operations Giovanni Ferdinand Leynes; Deputy Collector for Assessment Maita Acevedo; Chief of Assessment division Belinda Lim; Enforcement Security Service Commander Vincent Mark Malasmas andCustoms Intelligence and Investigation Service Supervisor Justice Roman Geli.
The investigation fluorished when the BOC seized the cargo of 140,000 bags or 7,021 metric tonnes of sugar loaded in the cargo vessel MV Bangpakaew from Thailand.
Officials from BOC-Customs Intelligence and Iinvestigation Service (BOC-CIIS) learned that the import permit used for the cargo was “recycled” which means it was used for an earlier sugar shipment in the country.
According to Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles that heads may roll at the Bureau of Customs if evidence shows that any of the bureau’s port personnel are in connivance with smugglers using recycled sugar import permits.