Customs Personnel, Importer Face Charges Over Smuggled Onions, Carrots

THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) on Tuesday filed six criminal complaints over shipments containing thousands of sacks of onions and boxes of carrots that were allegedly misdeclared as “chicken lollipops.” Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno led the filing of the complaints before the Department of Justice against a trading company, its owner and representatives, a licensed Customs broker, and Customs officials and personnel, the BoC said in a statement. The six shipments arrived in June 2025 and were found to contain 15,029 sacks of fresh white onions and 2,164 boxes of fresh carrots. The shipments were also not covered by the required Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance from the Bureau of Plant Industry. The BoC said the complaints allege violations of Section 1401, in relation to Sections 1400 and 117, of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) for the fraudulent misdeclaration and importation of regulated agricultural products without the required clearance. The complaints against Customs personnel cite Section 1431(c), (e) and (f) of the CMTA for “willful neglect of duties” and acts that allowed others to “defraud the government of customs revenue” or violate the law. The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service has also endorsed administrative charges against the personnel to the BoC’s Prosecution and Litigation Division for proceedings under the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service. “We will not cover up for anyone, and we will not tolerate any violation, especially attempts to abuse our processes,” Mr. Nepomuceno said in Filipino. “Whether an importer, broker, or Customs employee, if there is sufficient evidence, we will do what is necessary and file the case through the proper process. Everyone will be held accountable,” he added. The BoC said the latest cases bring to 96 the number of criminal cases it has filed, involving 288 respondents, while seizures from 2025 through 2026 totaled P13.7 billion. — Mark Joseph M. Sanchez