14 nabbed for ‘hot meat’ trade

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna — Fourteen persons were arrested by combined police elements of the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group while unloading 225 boxes of undocumented meat products in San Pedro, Laguna Wednesday evening, officials said.

Superintendent James Brillantes Jr. chief of RSOG who led the operations, said that based on their informants, they were able to apprehend 14 persons while unloading "hot meat" products from two closed vans to a house located at Lot 30, Block 5-A Macaria Village of the said place around 10:20 pm. Brillantes said the vans with license plates THF-570 and XSE-278 were loaded with imported meat products of chicken, beef and pork and allegedly part of the missing meat products at the Customs warehouse in Intramuros.

Arrested were Eduardo Lamina, Marvin Bagacay, Jason Paluyo, Sandro Paluyo, Jovanie Peralta, Rodel Uno, Ernesto Ursua, Rafael Peralta, Alberto Guiang, Richard Pareha, Leonardo Lazarte, Elvis Bermido, Alex Selos and Reynaldo Masane. The owners of the house and business partners Mark and Emil Perez, however, were not around when the raid was conducted, Brillantes said.

"Most of those arrested were longganisa makers, I believe they’re going to process the hot meat into longganisa and other processed meat products," Brillantes said

Brillantes said the suspects will be charged with violation of RA 9296 or Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines and Section 36-02 of the Customs and Tariffs Code after they failed to present necessary veterinary certificates and proof of payments to the Bureau of Customs. — Arnell Ozaeta, Ed Amoroso