The warning came after the retrieval of some P20 million worth of smuggled and rotten meat at the Kayabe Ice Plant and Cold Storage in Mexico town the other day.
Sources, in fact, are saying that the confiscation of the smuggled meat in Mexico and earlier in Guagua may only be the first and second, respectively, to happen in the province.
Because of this, consumers expressed fear that they may have already consumed some of these so-called smuggled meats.
The smuggling of these meats from China, it was also said, is timely this Yuletide season because of the great demand for processed ham and sausages.
On Tuesday, agents of Task Force Anti-Smuggling (TFAS) seized the P20-million worth of smuggled and rotten meat supposedly “missing” from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) since two months ago.
In an interview with General Jesus Versoza, he said the seizure of the 60,000 kilos of rotten meat was the result of an investigation conducted by the TFAS - composed of operatives of the BOC, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) - with the assistance of the Pampanga Provincial Police Office (PPO).
The investigation conducted was a follow-up on the loss of approximately two container vans of meat from China which came in the country last August 27. The consignee was named as the Asia Marketing Corporation.
He said the BOC has ordered to condemn meat coming from China because of the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease and bird flu in that country.
According to Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales, he has directed his personnel to validate the importation documents of the entrepreneur who rented the said cold storage space at Kayabe and see if these are legal or not.
