‘David Tan’ slapped by BOC with charges of rice smuggling

File photo of smuggled rice

MANILA – A firm linked with purported rice smuggler, Davidson Bangayan or David Tan, has been slapped by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) with smuggling charges. The bureau filed the complaints on Thursday before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In the complaint, the BOC alleged that the Intercontinental Grains International Trading Inc. smuggled at least 5,400 metric tons or 5.4 million kilograms of rice from Thailand via the Manila International Container Terminal and the Port of Manila between September and October 2013. The illegally imported rice is said toi have a value of P217 million.

According to records of the BOC, the Intercontinental Grains International Trading was the fifth biggest rice importer in 2013, and the third rice-importing company connected to Bangayan to be charged with smuggling. The first two firms to be accused of illegally bringing in are Bold Bidder and Silent Royalty.

The complaint detailed that the Intercontinental Grains’ shipments in question arrived from Thailand on two separate occasions: first, at the Port of Manila; and second, at the Manila International Container Port in September 2013 and October 2013, respectively.

September’s shipment of 675,000 kg of rice had an approximate market value of P27 million and taxable value of P10.3 million; whereas the 4.75 million kg of rice that arrived in October had an estimated market value of P190 million and taxable value of P66.6 million.