Traders rapped for smuggling onions, Peking duck

Five businessmen and two licensed customs brokers were charged Thursday in the Department of Justice with smuggling P18-million worth of onions and Peking ducks.

The Bureau of Customs-RATS program filed criminal complaints against Rady Salguero Garbosa, owner of RSG Marketing, together with his import manager and broker, Adonis Andilab and Jucylita Garcia, respectively, as well as against Jaime Martinez, owner of Reachable Enterprises and his broker, Janet Jackelou Cariga, and Estelito Mallari and Gary Madugnon, the consignee and shipper from Cagayan de Oro City.

Garbosa and his companions allegedly smuggled into the country in May a container van of Peking ducks worth P8 million from Hong Kong. Peking ducks are prohibited importations, according to a Bureau of Customs statement.

Last June, Garbosa allegedly imported onions declared as fresh pears worth P2 million without the necessary import permit from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).

In the case of Martinez, he and his broker Cariga were charged with importing into the country onions worth P4 million without a BPI permit. Moreover, the onions were declared as “umbrellas, office supplies, lamps and parts and plastic ware.”

Mallari and Madugnon were charged in connection with their shipment from Cagayan de Oro City which they declared were locally produced tomatoes but found to be P4-million worth of imported onions.

All seven were charged with violation of Section No. 3601 of the Tariff and Customs Code, orders of the Department of Agriculture and Article No. 172 of the Revised Penal Code. Christine O. Avendaño