The diamonds were allegedly stolen and was sent from a certain Arturo R. Rivera from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) had seized 22 pieces of diamonds allegedly stolen when it opened a balikbayan box sent from Malaysia.
BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said in a press statement that the diamonds were contained in a resealable plastic pouch that was carefully hidden in a black leather wallet inside the balikbayan box sent by a certain Arturo R. Rivera from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The said package was consigned to a certain Lajane Basilio of Purok 1, Luakan town, Bataan province.
According to Faeldon, it was disheartening on their part to confiscate a balikbayan box with the belief that it was containing gifts and other items the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sent for their loved ones, only to discover it was containing things that were stolen from other countries.
However, Faeldon said, the Customs Bureau cannot tolerate Filipinos working abroad to use the balikbayan box, the symbol of OFWs’ love for their families left in the country, for smuggling as it violates Philippine laws.
Faeldon later confirmed tha the BOC found the diamonds after it received an information relayed by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Dante Gierran.
The Customs bureau statement, however, did not provide other details as to who the real owner of the diamonds was and how the gems were stolen.
As of this writing, Commissioner Faeldon and the communication officer of the BOC could not be reached for an interview with regards the seizure of the diamonds.
The BOC was able to detect the smuggled diamonds after Gierran’s intelligence feed that the cargo was shipped as part of the 246 packages in a container van on board ocean vessel Sima Genesis 0231 from Pork of Klang, West Port, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and arrived in the country last December 5.
Based on the records of the Customs bureau, the designated agents of the shipment were RV Estrella Customs Brokerage, which holds office at Downtown Center Building at Quintin Paredes Street in Binondo, Manila City; and LBC Express, Incorporated with a warehouse at the Radial Road 10, Vitas, Tondo, also in Manila City.
The value of the seized 22 pieces of diamons has yet to be determined but for the mean time, the gems were places under the custody of Philip Maronilla, the collector of Manila International Container Port District.
The BOC is preparing charges to be filed against Rivera and Basilio.
