THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday filed six criminal complaints against an importer, its representatives, a customs broker, and several Customs personnel over shipments declared as “chicken lollipops” that allegedly concealed more than 15,000 sacks of onions and 2,000 boxes of carrots.
The shipments, consigned to Berches Consumer Goods Trading that arrived in June 2025, were subjected to physical examination and found to contain 15,029 sacks of fresh white onions and 2,164 boxes of fresh carrots instead of the declared goods.
Also, the agricultural products lacked the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC) from the Bureau of Plant Industry, according to the BOC.
The cases, filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ), accuse the respondents of violating Section 1401 in relation to Sections 1400 and 117 of Republic Act 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), covering unlawful importation, misdeclaration and regulated imports.
The BOC also filed complaints against its own officials and personnel, citing Section 1431 of the CMTA for alleged willful neglect of duty and acts or omissions that could have enabled another person to defraud the government or violate customs laws.
Administrative charges against the concerned Customs personnel have likewise been endorsed for appropriate proceedings under the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service (Raccs).
Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the bureau would pursue not only importers and brokers allegedly involved in smuggling but also Customs personnel found, based on evidence and due process, to have facilitated or benefited from illegal activities.
The latest filings bring to 96 the number of criminal cases filed by the BOC involving 288 respondents, according to the Bureau. It also said it has recorded P13.7 billion in seizures from 2025 through 2026.
These cases came as the BOC has intensified its campaign against agricultural smuggling, particularly the use of misdeclaration to disguise regulated farm products.
Onions and carrots are among the agricultural commodities covered by the country’s anti-agricultural smuggling framework.
Under Republic Act 10845, large-scale agricultural smuggling involving onions and carrots valued at least P1 million can constitute economic sabotage when committed through acts such as importing without the required regulatory permit.
The BOC has repeatedly uncovered similar schemes. In June 2026, it seized about P7.7 million worth of agricultural products, including thousands of boxes of carrots concealed in shipments declared as assorted food products.
In another case, the BOC intercepted more than 53,000 kilograms of fresh carrots in October 2025 that had been declared as bathroom fixtures, napkins, and storage boxes.
And in a case that reached the courts, an importer was convicted in 2023 after declaring a shipment as frozen pastry buns when it actually contained carrots. The importer was sentenced to three years and one day to four years in prison.
