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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider Quezon City court convicts man for selling counterfeit cigarettes worth P1.4M

Quezon City court convicts man for selling counterfeit cigarettes worth P1.4M

Published Jul 22, 2025 10:16 am
The fake cigarettes seized by authorities from the illegal trader
The fake cigarettes seized by authorities from the illegal trader
A 29-year-old man has been convicted by a Quezon City court for unfair competition after pleading guilty to selling counterfeit cigarettes worth more than a million pesos, in violation of Section 168.2 in relation to Section 170 of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.
In a ruling dated July 14, 2025, Branch 90 of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City court sentenced Angelo Velasquez Alba to three years of imprisonment and ordered him to pay a ₱50,000 fine.
The case was initiated following a formal complaint alleging the illicit sale of counterfeit items. An entrapment operation was conducted on July 1 at Alba’s residence in Sangandaan, Quezon City, where law enforcement operatives apprehended him while accepting payment from a poseur buyer in exchange for counterfeit tobacco products.
The operation was led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group – Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Unit (CIDG-AFCCU) in coordination with the Quezon City Police District.
Authorities said the accused was informed of his constitutional rights during the arrest and detention process. Authorities seized a substantial quantity of fake goods with an estimated market value of ₱1.36 million.
The inventory of confiscated items was conducted in the presence of barangay officials and documented with the use of an alternative recording device.
The court has ordered the destruction of all seized counterfeit products, currently in custody at the CIDG-AFCCU in Camp Crame. The order will be implemented by the unit’s custodian in accordance with legal procedures.
Alba’s conviction is the latest in a string of successful prosecutions involving counterfeit tobacco products in the country.
In 2024, the Bacolod Regional Trial Court sentenced businessman Adam Mangoda to up to 16 years in prison and ₱200,000 in fines for selling fake cigarettes. That same year, a Chinese national, Sunxu Zhou, was convicted in Cebu and handed a four-year sentence and a ₱400,000 fine.
In 2023, two young sellers in Las Piñas were found guilty of unfair competition and sentenced to two to three years in jail.
Other recent cases include pending charges in Iloilo City following the seizure of illicit cigarette products earlier this year, and the 2021 arrest of two individuals in Zambales who were caught with hundreds of reams of counterfeit goods.

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