Some P16 million worth of smuggled meat ended up in the hands of Bureau of Customs (BOC) operatives over the weekend, the agency said in a statement Sunday, May 9.
Yielding the contraband during an operation on Friday, May 7 was a storage facility located in Navotas City. Seized were frozen peking duck and black duck, the BOC said.
The agents swooped down on the area in the northern part of the metropolis while carrying Letters of Authority (LOA) to perform their task.
On the same day, a separate BOC team conducted operations in Pasay City--located in southern Metro Manila this time--which led to the discovery of fake branded clothes amounting to P300 million.
Among the counterfeit clothes found were those branded Nike, Lacoste, Jag, Louis Vitton, Jordan, Crocs, Adidas, Havianas, Disney, Frozen, Hello Kitty, Tribal, Dickies, Mossimo, Levi’s, Petrol, Gap, Fila, Uniqlo, Lee, Puma, DC , and Marvel.
The confiscated items are currently undergoing inventory. More importantly, authorities are looking at the possible violation of Section 1400 of Republic Act (RA) No.10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tarrif Act (CMTA), as well as other relevant intellectual property laws of the Philippines.
BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero vowed that the bureau would continue to pursue the unscrupulous individuals behind smuggling activities in the country.