CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Five container vans declared as an ingredient in food production were flagged and confiscated by the Bureau of Customs-10 (BOC-10) authorities Thursday, July 7, 2022, the agency said Friday.
Oliver Valiente, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) field chief for Northern Mindanao, said the imported products which came from China were intercepted at the Mindanao Container Terminal sub-port in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental on July 2, 2022.
He said that based on the import documents, the items declared as “autolysed yeast in powder form” were actually red onions, white onions and carrots.
“The shipments consigned to Primex Export and Import Producer which arrived from China on July 02, 2022 were declared as ‘Autolysed Yeast in Powder Form,’” Valiente said.
Autolyzed yeast extract is defined as a substance that results when yeast is broken down into its constituent components. It is used primarily as a flavor enhancer in a variety of processed foods such as soups, meats and vegetarian “meats.”
On July 4, 2022, lawyer Elvira Cruz, BOC-10 district collector, issued pre-lodgement control orders against the shipments through the CIIS CDO field station upon receipt of derogatory information from the Intelligence Division-Intelligence Group.
The seized items is a clear violation of Republic Act 10863 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act for misdeclaration of goods, Cruz said.
Meanwhile, the BOC-10’s Enforcement and Security Services (ESS-CDO) conducted a trace detection system (TDS) operational training to its personnel July 7.
The TDS or the NUCTECH TR3000DE is a non-intrusive inspection device designed to detect explosives, narcotics, and drug substances of small magnitude.
The detection is accomplished by sampling non-visible trace of particles from suspected shipments.
The said device will further enhance the intelligence and enforcement capability of the bureau’s law enforcement arm in exercising its duty in protecting the country’s borders, the BOC-10 said.
This is part of the 16 units launched by the BOC last April and were deployed in various ports in the country including Cagayan de Oro, it added.
