CEBU CITY – Fake items imitating luxury brands were seized from several stalls inside a mall in Mandaue City on Thursday morning, Oct. 17.
FAKE items are seized from several stores during a raid inside a mall in Mandaue City on Thursday morning, Oct. 17. (MyTVCebu)
Operatives of the Intellectual Property Rights Division of the National Bureau of Investigation (IPRD-NBI)-Manila raided 33 stalls and seized counterfeit items worth about P200 million.
The seized items included fake Louis Vuitton bags, belts, shoes, and wallets.
John Ignacio, team leader of IPRD-NBI Manila, said the series of raids stemmed from a complaint from LV, which complained that fake products using its brand were being sold in various stores in Cebu.
Ignacio said 33 search warrants issued by a Regional Trial Court in Manila were used in the raid.
He said the discovery of fake LV items being sold in Cebu came during a market survey conducted by the company.
After receiving the complaint, a surveillance and test buy were made until the raid was conducted, Ignacio said.
Ignacio said genuine LV products can only be bought in two stores in Manila and another one in a posh hotel at the South Road Properties here.
“Hopefully, with this operation that we did, the sale of, at least for our brand, will stop,” a representative of LV said.
Owners of the stores that were raided were not around during the operation.
The NBI- IPRD said charges for trademark infringement and unfair competition will be filed against the store owners.