MANILA, Philippines — A former official of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and his alleged cohort have been arrested for allegedly extorting money from firearms importers, authorities said Thursday. The money was supposed to be given as a bribe to customs officials for the release of the shipments, according to NBI. Geotina and Nuguid, the NBI said, had lunch with the complainant-importers and then asked for the P500,000. “We will not tolerate extortion and all forms of corruption in the Bureau,” BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero said in a statement. If any Customs officer is involved in this extortion, or any other illegal activities, we will make sure that they are prosecuted accordingly,” he added.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 23, 2019 09:46 UTC