By HENRY EMPEÑO

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Smugglers apparently ended up in low spirits this Christmas season after Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) police operatives thwarted their attempt to smuggle more than P40-million worth of expensive liquor out of this free port.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said that the agency’s Law Enforcement Department (SBMA-LED) seized a total of 1,321 boxes of liquor from a closed van that was about to leave the Freeport on Dec. 24, and from a 40-footer container van parked at the Subic Seaport Terminal on Dec. 28.

The seized contraband included 54 bottles of Remy Martin Louis XIII, which sells as much as P170,000 per bottle, and eight boxes of Remy Martin Centaure De Diamant, which fetches P60,000 per bottle.

“This is a job well done for the SBMA and another huge failure for those who try to use Subic for their smuggling operation,” Eisma noted on Friday after receiving the final report on the inventoried items.

“Some unscrupulous parties would really take advantage of the Christmas season to try to pull away illegal activities in the Freeport, but this only proves that the SBMA Law Enforcement Department is ready at all times to do their duty,” Eisma added.

According to a report by Maj. Vicente Tolentino, head of the SBMA-LED, the SBMA police began the operation on Christmas Eve after a tipster informed them that a closed van and a Nissan Patrol SUV would attempt to smuggle contraband from the Freeport.

Subsequently, SBMA-LED operatives posted along the Argonaut Highway leading to Subic’s sea ports monitored the vehicles and tailed them to the 14th Street Gate where they were stopped by sentries.

Tolentino said the Fuso van, bearing File No. 036404 of BCR Trucking, was found to contain 275 boxes of Remy Martin Cognac Champagne, 448 boxes of Martini, 66 boxes of Remy Martin XO, 17 boxes of Remy Martin Champagne, 8 boxes of Remy Martin Louis XIII, 8 boxes of Remy Martin Centaure De Diamant, 7 boxes of Remy Martin Club, and 7 boxes of Remy Martin.

The driver, identified as 41-year old Julio Flores, as well as the helper, 46-year old Marvin Arcega, reportedly failed to present necessary documents when accosted by the police.

Under investigation, Flores reported that he picked up the merchandise from the Subic Seaport Terminal Inc. (SSTI) at the Boton Pier here at the instruction of a certain “Ed” who rented his truck for the pickup. He added that a certain “Cherry” assured him that the goods were ready for exit at Subic’s Tipo gate even without any document because two other trucks with similar load were able to exit so.

With this information, SBMA operatives conducted a follow-up operation on Thursday that led them to a white Isuzu Giga cab with the markings “Sinfa Logistics Inc.” that was parked at the SSTI’s Boton Pier facility.

The 40-footer container van on its trailer contained the rest of the contraband: 333 boxes of Remy Martin, 196 boxes of Remy Martin XO, 1 box of Remy Martin Club, 1 box of Martini, 2 boxes of Remy Martin, and 10 boxes of Remy Martin Louis XIII.

Tolentino said the SBMA police conducted an inventory of the smuggled items last Thursday and Friday in the presence of representatives from the Bureau of Customs, the SBMA Seaport Department and members of the media.

Last Friday, the SBMA police chief also formally turned over the confiscated items and the vehicles containing them to Ciriaco Ugay, OIC-Collector of the Bureau of Customs in the Port of Subic.

Top Photo: SBMA police operatives and workers unload boxes of smuggled liquor for inventory at the Law Enforcement Department office on Friday (Photos by Jonas Reyes)