3 cold storage facility employees nabbed for allegedly selling smuggled fish

Employees of a Navotas City cold storage facility, two cashiers and a stevedore, were arrested for allegedly selling smuggled frozen fish from China, Nico Waje reported on "24 Oras Weekend."

According to the Department of Agriculture, several boxes of frozen pampano, galunggong, and other fish were discovered by authorities.

The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP- CIDG) said they conducted three test buys before launching their entrapment operation.

“‘Yung modus operandi na diversion o yung technical smuggling kung tawagin nila na yung mga produkto na agri-fishery products ay pumupunta sa merkado at binebenta na walang kaukulang permit at licenses," said DA Assistant Secretary James Layug.

"Ang intended use niyan sana for canning. So kung binigyan sila, ng canning or for other purpose, pero ang ginagawa nila binebenta nila diretso sa wet market.”

(Their modus operandi is called diversion or technical smuggling. The agri-fishery products go to the market and are sold without proper permits and licenses. The intended use for the products is canning. So they are given a permit or license for canning or another purpose, but they sell them directly in the wet market instead.)

The Agriculture Department added that such fish were unsafe to eat because they had not been inspected.

The total value of the smuggled fish is still unknown.

The arrested stevedore insisted that he was only there to assist if there were buyers, while the two cashiers refused to give a statement.

The arrested suspects and the shop's owner may be charged with violating the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016. — Sherylin Untalan/DVM, GMA Integrated News