THE Presidential Antismuggling Group (PASG) seized some P150 million worth of imported meat, fish and various aquatic and agricultural products from China in a raid at a cold-storage facility in Navotas City on Wednesday.

The early-morning raid at the Common Cod Storage Facilities at 525 M. Naval Street came two weeks after the same team of PASG agents, led by Supt. Johnny Bacbac, stormed two warehouses in nearby San Rafael Village, which resulted in the confiscation of millions of pesos worth of imported ducks and other aquatic products.

A mission order was served to a certain William Lim, the administrator of the facility, by PASG intelligence officer Peter Guzman. A copy of the same mission order was served to a certain Andrew Co, a representative of one of the lessee-occupants of the place.

The raid yielded frozen imported ducks including Peking ducks, Hong Kong geese, pork, shrimp and imported fish, as well as onions and garlic contained in 11 freezer vans and 15 chillers.

Also seized were giant squids, salmon heads and other meat products like Angus beef, chicken and pork.

Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr., PASG chief, ordered the closure of the cold-storage facility pending inspection of the allegedly smuggled agricultural products.

Villar blamed the Bureau of Customs for the proliferation of smuggled fowl meats, which are favorite dishes served in Chinese restaurants.

“We should be strict on the importation of these exotic fowl meats since intelligence reports indicate that they did not pass scrutiny by veterinary authorities in the country of origin, in this case, China. 

For sure, these goods, being smuggled, did not also pass check by local authorities such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Bureau of Animal Industry,” Villar said.

Villar recently raised the alarm against the possible outbreak of the avian flu in the country because of the unregulated importation of exotic fowl meats.

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THE Presidential Antismuggling Group (PASG) seized some P150 million worth of imported meat, fish and various aquatic and agricultural products from China in a raid at a cold-storage facility in Navotas City on Wednesday.