Smuggled goods worth more or less P70 million and kept inside the storage units of a shopping mall in Binondo, Manila have been seized by combined government operatives.
The goods, likely fake products, were uncovered on November 26, 2019 by joint elements of the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) and Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPRD), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Joint Task Force NCR.
The operation stemmed from the information and complaint made by intellectual property specialist Baranda & Associates, which said various smuggled goods, likely fake, were being kept inside the storage units of the Binondo shopping mall.
After coordinating with local authorities and facility administrator, the combined elements, who were armed with a letter of authority signed by Customs commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, inspected more or less 70 storage units.
Found inside were smuggled and likely a number of replica items bearing the brands Silka, Likas Papaya, Spiderman, Hello Kitty, Coach, Long Champ, Cath Kidston, Anello, Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, Red Bull, Dove, Lux, Prada, Gucci, Chanel, Cetaphil, Balenciaga, Kate Spade, Fred Perry, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Rejoice, Sony, Awei, Cars, Mickey Mouse, Frozen, Champion, DKNY, Marc Jacobs, Bench, Starbucks, Yves Saint Laurent, Max Man, Viagra, Cialis, Tory Burch, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, and Hollister, among others.
Representative samples of the items found will be forwarded to brand owners to verify authenticity.
Section 118 (f) of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, prohibits the importation of infringing goods as defined under R.A. 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.
On October 18, 2019, BOC turned over P58 million worth of smuggled and likely fake goods to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines for condemnation. These smuggled goods were seized in various anti-smuggling operations of the BOC-Intelligence Group composed of IPRD and CIIS.