After their foiled attempt to illegally slip two forty footer container vans of Pigeons, Peking Duck, Chicken and Piglet from China in October 15, 2012, a trader and his broker were formally charged today by Bureau of Customs officials led by Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon at the Department of Justice (DOJ) for violation of certain provisions of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) and the Revised Penal Code.

According to Biazon, HEXA Trading, a Manila based trading company which is owned by Miguel M. Villamor, declared, through his broker Remedios Lopez, the import entry of its shipment of two forty footer container vans which arrived at the Port of Manila last month as Frozen Mackerel.

However, in the 100% examination of HEXA Trading’s 2 container vans that was witnessed by POM X-Ray Inspection Project, the container vans turned out to contain Pigeons, Peking Duck, Chicken and Piglet worth Forty Million Pesos (Php40,000,000.00).

“This is obviously a deliberate move to defraud the government of its appropriate taxes,” Biazon said adding that, “The Bureau of Customs will never allow scheming traders like HEXA Trading to be left untouched, no matter who they are connected with, if only to ensure the collection of proper duties and taxes by the government.”

For his part, Deputy Commissioner for Revenue Collection and Monitoring Group (RCMG) Peter Manzano, who is also the Bureau’s Run-After-The Smugglers (RATS) Head said this is a clear violation of Sections 101, 3601 and 3602 in relation to Sections 2503 and 2530 of the Tariffs and Customs Code (TCCP), as amended, Department of Agriculture-Administrative Order No. 09, series of 2010 and DA Memorandum Order No. 05 series of 2004 and Article 172 in relation to Article 171 and article 183 of the Revised Penal Code.