Intelligence and investigation agents of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized around P1.5 billion worth of counterfeit goods during a raid on a warehouse in Pasay City, the biggest haul so far since the change of leadership in the agency.
BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said the operation stemmed from a confirmed report from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Intellectual Property Rights Division (CIIS-IPRD) about the presence of counterfeit products at Building 127 FB Harrison Street, corner J. Fernando Street in Pasay City.
Armed with a Letter of Authority (LOA) which he signed, Rubio said CIIS-IPRD agents, backed by operatives of the police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) inspected the area on Friday, Feb. 17, and found the items.
The LOA team required proof of payment for the taxes and duties paid on all imported goods and proof of authenticity for the branded goods.
The seized items include counterfeit goods bearing the brands Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Adidas, Supreme, Tory Burch, Skechers, and Birkenstock.
“Our people target, detect, intercept, and thereby prevent the entry of these contraband items before they can do any harm to our markets," said Rubio as he emphasized the importance of coordinating with different government agencies.
"These counterfeit items not only jeopardize these brand names, but also seriously undermine our own local brands. It is therefore our mandate in the BOC to stop these deals and ensure a fair trade for foreign and local brands,” he added.
For his part, Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy has vowed to intensify the crackdown against smuggling and counterfeit items.
He said that the initial report they received was that approximately 70 units in the building are leased and used as storage spaces for the counterfeit items.
“Discovering P1.5 billion worth of counterfeit items is no small joke, especially because these people are now becoming more sophisticated in the way they bring these products through our borders. But while this latest operation is an extraordinary feat, we acknowledge that more work needs to be done to stop these once and for all,” said Uy.
Further investigation, according to him, is also underway for other possible violations of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (RA 8293) and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (RA 10863).
The BOC earlier confiscated more than P90 million worth of smuggled sugar and cigarettes at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and P150 million worth of onions and garlic in over 30 raids in Malabon and Manila warehouses.