Anybody who has experienced chopping onions must have known first-hand how this common cooking ingredient can make even the toughest cry.

Onions must also be the source of grief of businessman Fernando Diana Jr. and his licensed Customs broker Reynaline Turrado, who are facing charges from the Bureau of Customs (BoC) for allegedly smuggling into the country onions, misdeclared as apples, worth P1,899, 827.00.

But they are not alone, as BoC also filed similar charges against Emily Saluga and Virgilio Miranda of Kasaligan Corp., as well as their broker Carlos Andrew Alindogan for unlawful importation of onions worth P881,765.

The joint forces of the BoC and the Department of Agriculture got a whiff of the illegal operation when they conducted a spot check of 6 x 40 container vans at the Manila International Container Port.

The criminal charges were readied against the suspects when the cargo declared as fresh apples did not pass the scent test and visual inspection revealed they were onions instead.

While these accused individuals would not likely chop onions in their cells, the fate that awaits them would probably make them shed buckets of tears.