‘Hot meat’ sellers face charges

The five suspects in the seizure of 22 tons of “botcha” (hot meat) have been charged by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) under the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines (RA 10536) and the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act of 2024 (RA 12022).

Earlier, NBI agents launched a crackdown on a major “botcha” operation, seizing at least 22 tons of smuggled frozen meat from China and arresting five suspects in an entrapment operation in Caloocan City.

The NBI launched the operation on 20 January 2025, following a tip from the National Meat Inspection Service about illegal meat being sold well below market price — at a suspicious P163 per kilo.

One suspect, Kiel Rozzan Barbado Mendoza, arranged a meetup to deliver 75 sacks of smuggled meat weighing a total of 1,500 kilograms, accepting an initial cash payment of P50,000.

Instead of gaining profit, his buyers turned out to be NBI agents.

Four people were apprehended and were identified as Melba Cabenian, Mark Christian Mission, Bregido Elbiña and Rinie Sanchez.

NBI agents found 3,680 kilos of poultry smuggled from China inside two refrigerated trucks.

Investigators traced the supply back to a cold storage plant in Sta. Maria, Bulacan, leading to the arrest of Ana Cristina Galvez, who failed to produce any permits.

Another 22,000 kilos of smuggled frozen meat — all deemed unfit for human consumption — were discovered inside the facility.

The NBI said Mendoza remains at large, while the seized “botcha” is in custody pending proper disposal.