P10-B worth of fake goods seized in Binondo raid
AN estimated P10 billion worth of counterfeit goods being sold illegally in the country were seized by combined agents of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Bureau of Customs in a raid on Tuesday in Binondo, Manila.
PNP-CIDG director Brigadier General Romeo M. Caramat Jr. said the raid at Sunprime Tower located at No. 354 Juan Luna Street in Binondo was part of their ongoing stepped-up implementation of the CIDG Oplan: Megashopper/Oplan Olea against smuggled and counterfeit products.
Armed with a Letter of Authority signed by BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, members of the CIDG Anti-Transnational Crime Unit led by Colonel Zacarias Noel B. Villegas, with the assistance of officers from the BOC Intelligence and Intelligence Division and Philippine Coast Guard stormed the building.
The 6-hour search which started at 3 p.m. resulted in the confiscation of fake garments, footwear, bags and other apparels bearing the marks of branded products, said Brig. Gen. Caramat.
“We launched the operation amid many reports regarding the rampant illegal importation of counterfeit goods. Right now, our men are still investigating the personalities behind the smuggling,” Caramat said.
