P60-M worth of fake items, party drugs seized
MANILA – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday said government authorities confiscated PHP60 million worth of counterfeit products and party drugs in Manila and Tanay, Rizal.
The bureau said a composite team, armed with Letter of Authority (LOA) issued by Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, inspected warehouses at the 7th floor of QQ Mall in Quiapo where they found the items with an estimated value of PHP54 million on November 15.
Upon further inspection of the target warehouses, the group discovered various items bearing known registered trademarks such as Regatta, Penshoppe, Oxygen/Oxgn, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, and Prada, among others.
It said the items were seized due to possible violation of Republic Act (RA) 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and RA 8293 or Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.
The LOA stemmed from the complaint of the company Golden ABC, Inc., the registered brand owner of Regatta, Penshoppe, and Oxygen/Oxgn that informed about the subject facility which stores counterfeit articles bearing their trademarks.
The composite team is composed of the Port of Manila-District Office (POM-DO), Intellectual Property Rights Division–Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (IPRD-CIIS) under the Intelligence Group, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
In Tatay, the BOC-Port of NAIA and NAIA-Inter-agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG) apprehended the claimant of PHP3.3 million worth of ecstasy tablets on Tuesday.
The shipment originated from Germany and was consigned to a certain “Heart Valerine Garcia Cruz” with an address in Taytay, Rizal, which was declared as wedding dress.
But after a thorough examination, the BOC-NAIA personnel discovered a total of 1,993 tablets of ecstasy party drugs with an estimated market value of PHP 3,39 million.
The operation was conducted with the Port of NAIA Enforcement and Security Service Customs Anti-illegal Drugs Task Force (ESS-CAIDTF) as part of the NAIA-IADITG.
The seized illegal drugs have been turned over to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for further investigation and the possible filing of cases for the violation of RA 9165 also known as the Comprehensive Drugs Act as well as RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
The Port of NAIA has so far recorded 50 busts for 2021 with an estimated value of PHP107 million. (PNA)
