Chinese national nabbed for illegal sale of E-cigarettes
A 24-year-old Chinese national and his employee were arrested by agents of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) for involvement in the illegal sale of E-cigarettes in Metro Manila on Wednesday, officials said.
Zeng Chao Ming, a resident of Unit 791, Shore, Pasay City, and Rosekate Racad, 23, were arrested in an entrapment operation 11:30 p.m. Wednesday conducted by members of the PNP-CIDG National Capital Region Field Unit (NCRFU), said CIDG director, Major General Albert Ignatius D. Ferro.
Members of the Manila District Field Unit of the CIDG-NCRFU headed by Colonel Randy Glenn F. Silvio recovered three boxes containing an estimated P450,000 worth of E-Cigarettes RELX Pods and the P30,000 worth of boodle money topped by a marked P1,000 bill during the sting.
Silvio said the two have been reported to be members of a syndicated involved in the sale and distribution of smuggled RELX E-Cigar and vape products being smuggled into the country.
Their main clients and distributors are also mostly fellow Chinese nationals, the official said.
The two are now facing criminal charges for violation of Republic Act (RA) 8293 or the intellectual property code, RA 1937 or the tariff and customs law and RA 7394 or the country’s consumer law, said the official.
