CIDG seizes P121 M worth of 'substandard' Apple products in Parañaque buy-bust
photo: CIDG
Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) seized around P121 million worth of alleged substandard Apple products following the arrest of two people during a buy-bust in Paranaque City over the weekend.
CIDG director Brig. Gen. Romeo J Macapaz said the operation started from intelligence reports that was confirmed and eventually led to the arrest of a male and female seller in Barangay Tambo.
Seized were nine boxes of Apple iWatches (225 units), 14 boxes of MagSafe chargers (531 units), 92 boxes of AirPods (4,580 units), including seven boxes of charger adaptors (2,652 units), 37 boxes of charger sets (6,664 units) and 18 boxes of iPhone accessories (1,033 units).
Also confiscated were a box of car chargers (70 units), 10 boxes of charging cords (1,740 units), two boxes of handheld fans (87 units), three boxes of hair dryers (77 units), three boxes of Beats Solo headphones (126 units), one unit of iPhone 16, and one box of earphones (110 units).
He said the seized items have an estimated market value of PhP 121.5 million.
Macapaz said the Apple products seized were not cleared for selling by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and registration from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
This, he said, is in violation of Article 18 and 50 of Republic Act No. 7394, or the Consumer Act of the Philippines in relation to Section 2 of NTC Memorandum Cicrular 08-08-2004A.
“It is the policy of the State to protect the interests of the consumers, promote their general welfare, and establish standards of conduct for business and industry. The arrest of these two suspects and the seizure of these substandard products underscore our commitment in combating all crimes and violations of laws,” said Macapaz.