By HENRY EMPEÑO

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has blacklisted three customs brokers for their involvement in the foiled attempt to spirit out some P40-million worth of expensive liquor from this free port.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said on Monday that this was the initial action of the agency after its Law Enforcement Department (SBMA-LED) thwarted the smuggling operation that was timed on Christmas Eve.

Eisma said the SBMA Seaport Department has identified the blacklisted brokers as Ellen Baylon, an authorized representative of the brokerage firm Alava Alliance, Inc.; John Louie Pabico, a processor of Phil-Hohan International Corp.; and Cherry Springael, a freelance processor and also an authorized representative of Alava Alliance.

“These persons have been banned from doing business with the SBMA Seaport, and the companies they represented have been placed on indefinite suspension pending the final results of investigation by the Bureau of Customs (BOC),” Eisma said.

She added that the BOC, which received custody of the smuggled items from the SBMA, will also file appropriate criminal charges against the brokers for violation of the Customs and Tariff Act, as well as Republic Act 7227, or the Bases Conversion and Development Act.

“Let this serve as a warning that Subic authorities won’t tolerate illegal activities in the Freeport, and we will apply the full measure of the law in cases like this,” Eisma added.

According to SBMA records, its police operatives seized from the botched smuggling operation a total of 1,321 boxes of liquor. These included 54 bottles of Remy Martin Louis XIII, which could sell as much as P170,000 per bottle, and eight boxes of Remy Martin Centaure De Diamant, which could fetch P60,000 per bottle.

The SBMA police said it took action after a tipster informed them on Christmas Eve that a closed van and a Nissan Patrol SUV would attempt to smuggle contraband from the Freeport.

The operatives subsequently monitored the vehicles along the Argonaut Highway leading to Subic’s sea ports and tailed them to the 14th Street Gate where they were stopped by sentries.

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, failed to present necessary documents when accosted by the police, the SBMA-LED said in a report.

Under investigation, Flores reported that he picked up the merchandise from the Subic Seaport Terminal Inc. (SSTI) at the Boton Pier here on instruction of a certain “Ed” who rented his truck for the pickup.

Flores 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.

A follow-up operation by the SBMA police on Dec. 28 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 yielded 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.

Eisma said the SBMA police conducted an inventory of the smuggled items in the presence of representatives from the Bureau of Customs, the SBMA Seaport Department and members of the media before turning over the confiscated items and the vehicles containing them to the Bureau of Customs in the Port of Subic.

 

Top Photo: SBMA operatives unload seized boxes of expensive liquor for inventory after the Dec. 28 raid at the Subic Seaport Terminal.