The Bureau of Customs (BOC) filed six criminal complaints before the Department of Justice against an importer, a customs broker, Customs personnel and other individuals over shipments allegedly misdeclared as “chicken lollipops” but found to contain thousands of sacks of onions and boxes of carrots.
The complaints stemmed from six shipments consigned to Berches Consumer Goods Trading that arrived in June 2025.
Physical examination of the shipments found a total of 15,029 sacks of fresh white onions and 2,164 boxes of fresh carrots.
The BOC claimed the agricultural products did not have the required Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC) from the Bureau of Plant Industry.
The complaints allege violations of Section 1401, in relation to Sections 1400 and 117, of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), in connection with the alleged misdeclaration and importation of regulated agricultural products without the required clearances.
The complaints against the concerned BOC officials and personnel also cite Section 1431(c), (e) and (f) of the CMTA, which covers acts including willful neglect of duties, allowing another person to defraud the government of customs revenue, and negligently or deliberately permitting violations of the law.
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIS) has also endorsed administrative charges against the concerned BOC officials and personnel to the Prosecution and Litigation Division for hearings under the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service.
The BOC said the complaints are part of its efforts to strengthen border protection and internal accountability under its Integrity, Accountability, and Modernization Movement.#