April 17, 2026 – 18:08
A DNIT verification in a warehouse in Fernando de la Mora (South Zone) ended with the seizure of more than 53,000 kilos of tomatoes, potatoes, onions and carrots, allegedly imported without documentation.
The National Tax Revenue Directorate (DNIT) seized a volume greater than 53 tons of fruit and vegetable products during a verification procedure carried out this Thursday in a warehouse located in the city of Fernando de la Mora, South Zone. According to the DNIT itself, the merchandise would be of foreign origin and did not have papers proving its legal entry into the country or its free circulation.
The intervention was developed with the support of the Specialized Department against Economic and Financial Punishable Acts of the National Police and with technicians from the National Service for Plant and Seed Quality and Health (SENAVE), under the framework of Law No. 123/91 on phytosanitary protection.
Read more: More than 5,000 kilos of sugar and 10,000 liters of oil fall, among other contraband products
In this procedure, the DNIT counted approximately 53,024 kilograms distributed in four types of products, depending on the detail:
- Tomato: 393 boxes of about 20 kg each, with a total of 7,860kg.
- Carrot: 201 bags of 20 kg, equivalent to 4,020kg.
- Dad: 2,008 bags of 18 kg, which add up 36,144kg.
- Onion: 250 bags of 20 kg, totaling 5,000kg.
In addition to the large volume of the products, the lack of supporting documentation for them caught the attention of those involved. According to the official report, those responsible for the cargo stated that they did not have support that would demonstrate the legal entry of the products or enable their circulation in the market.
Estimated value of G. 1,500 million
The estimated value of the seized cargo is around G. 1.5 billion, detailed the director of the DNIT, Óscar Orué, who also specified that at the scene of the procedure, counterfeit Senave tickets were found that were placed in the packages of products to be marketed, as if they were of national production.
When asked about those responsible or owners of the cargo, the director declined to provide that data, since the operation is subject to an investigation.
Read more: DNIT seizes more than 41 tons of tomatoes and onions in Ñemby
Intervention procedure
According to the DNIT, during the intervention, the team was received by a representative of the property, who authorized access for the inspection. Once inside, officials confirmed the existence of different fruit and vegetable products and moved forward with the verification without any incidents being reported.
The joint deployment with the National Police and SENAVE suggests an approach that combines tax and customs control with inspection criteria linked to plant health and the standards provided for in the phytosanitary regulations mentioned by the DNIT.
After the seizure, all the cargo was transferred to the DNIT – GICAL depositlocated in Mariano Roque Alonsowhere it will remain under guard and custody.
According to the DNIT, the operation is part of a strategy to contain smuggling and illicit trade, with the argument of protecting national production and reinforcing controls in the territory.
