Manila raid yields P500-M in fake products

A recent raid by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on several warehouses in Binondo and Tondo, Manila dealt a big blow to producers and sellers of counterfeit items; P500 million worth of fake food products and dry goods, to be exact, were seized by authorities.

Confiscated by agents were 1,440 boxes of a well-know brand of food seasoning, clothing, designer perfumes and colognes, and batteries. The goods had been kept in eight warehouses on Baraca and La Torre streets in Binondo, as well as on Rivera Street in Tondo, Manila.

“Follow-up investigation is ongoing as well as inventory of all seized goods,” the BOC said in a statement yesterday.

The raid was conducted by personnel of the BOC, and agents from the National Bureau of Investigation, Intellectual Property Office, and Philippine National Police- Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) after the bureau issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention.

The warehouse owners – whose identities were withheld by the BOC – have already been called for questioning. Meanwhile, investigators are still tracking the location and identity of the shipper.