Five cargo forwarding companies are now answering to the Department of Justice after the Bureau of Customs accused them of running fraudulent balikbayan box operations tied to 3,176 parcels left abandoned in ports around the country.
Named in the complaints are Ikthus Trading Corp., Marcelo D. Laylo Cargo Forwarders, Me Amoree International Consumer Goods Trading, MT De Guzman Non-Specialized Wholesale Trading, and Cargoflex Haulers Corp. Each is accused of breaching the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act along with other governing statutes.
Investigators flagged a range of irregularities in the handling of the shipments, including misdeclared and undervalued contents, deconsolidation carried out without authorization, smuggling, the failure to declare commercial merchandise, the entry of banned and regulated items, and suspected breaches of intellectual property rights law.
For the BOC, the volume of unclaimed cargo pointed to importation practices that sidestepped required shipping and documentation rules, raising broader questions about compliance across the sector.
Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno, who led the filing, signaled that the bureau intends to keep its enforcement drive going. “We will not stop investigating, building cases, and filing appropriate complaints against cargo operators involved in deception and other fraudulent activities that harm our OFWs and their families,” he said.
This round of charges follows the bureau’s opening salvo on May 29, when it lodged its first criminal complaint against Makati Express Cargo Inc. Nepomuceno cautioned that the list of respondents could still grow, with several other forwarding firms remaining under active scrutiny.
The agency said its continuing intelligence work and case build-up may produce additional filings, depending on what its investigations turn up as it works to shield overseas Filipino workers and enforce customs rules on balikbayan shipments.
