(Photo courtesy of BOC)
MANILA – Authorities seized PHP110 million worth of smuggled fake luxury goods at a warehouse in Manila last week, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported on Wednesday.
In a statement, the BOC said the team led by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Field Office-Intellectual Property Rights Division (CIIS-IPRD) inspected the warehouse located at a condominium in Binondo on March 11.
During the inspection, the team discovered numerous items bearing the trademarks Hermes, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Marvel, Disney, Hot Wheels, Hello Kitty, Cars, Spiderman, Toy Story, Iron Man, among others.
Further investigation is underway for possible violations of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (RA 8293) and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (RA 10863).
The inspection team is also composed of the BOC-Port of Manila and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the BOC–Port of Clark also reported the apprehension of 1.16 kilograms of kush or high-grade marijuana worth PHP1.5 million inside a shipment of “computer circuit board”.
Port of Clark District Collector Alexandra Lumontad said the shipment which came from Connecticut in the United States was subjected to a non-intrusive examination that revealed an unusual image of suspected illegal drugs.
A physical examination led to the findings of one toy and three plastic packs containing green leaves suspected to be marijuana last February 22.
The shipment was likewise subjected to K9 sniffing by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) that gave positive indications of the presence of illegal drugs. A field testing by CAIDTF Clark personnel also yielded positive indications for the presence of marijuana.
Representative samples were taken and turned over to PDEA for the chemical laboratory analysis which later yielded positive results.
A warrant of seizure and detention was issued against the subject shipment for violation of Sections 118 (g), 119 (d), and 1113 par. f, i & l of Republic Act (RA) 10863 otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in relation to RA 9165 otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. (PNA)
