NBI nabs 5 for selling ‘hot meat’

MANILA, Philippines —  Five people are facing criminal cases after they were arrested in Caloocan for allegedly selling smuggled meat from China, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported on Tuesday.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago said charges of violating Republic Act 9296, the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines, as amended by RA 10536 and RA 12022, also known as the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act, were filed against the suspects.

The suspects are in NBI custody. They are Mark Christian Mission, Melba Cabenian, Bregido Elbina Jr., Rinie Sanchez and Ana Cristina Galvez.

Another suspect, Kiel Roza Mendoza, remains at large.

According to Santiago, the suspects were apprehended inside two refrigerated trucks in Caloocan on Jan. 20.

The NBI’s special task force conducted an entrapment operation in response to a request from the National Meat Inspection Service.

The NMIS received reports that several people were selling imported meat products without clearance from regulatory government agencies, Santiago said.

Mendoza allegedly arranged for a meeting with NBI agents, who posed as clients, for the sale of 1,500 kilos of smuggled meat for only P163 per kilo.

The suspects agreed to an initial payment of P50,000, with the remaining amount of P194,500 to be paid through online transfer.