THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) last week filed technical smuggling charges against officers of two sister companies based in Escolta for defrauding the government of some P38-million worth of revenues.
Criminal charges were filed at the Department of Justice against David Manuel Ubarde, Enrico de Castro, Rex Butuan, and Edwin Benito, all incorporators of Plum Blossom Import-Export Food Corp, and Manolo Antonio Medel, proprietor of Full Story Source Marketing. The firms are being charged of illegal rice importation and misdeclaration of cargo. Included in the complaint are customs brokers Allan J.V. Gahon and several John/Jane Does.
The case covers four import entry declarations of “mung beans” from Vietnam transported in several 84 x 20 foot container vans. The shipments arrived on June 17 and were cleared the following day without payment of customs duties or taxes.
