The Philippine National Police (PNP) said Friday, Jan. 10, that it raided two warehouses allegedly storing smuggled used clothing or “ukay-ukay” in Bulacan and seized P46 million worth of items.
Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) under the leadership of Police Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III arrested alias “Shawn”, “Liang” and three other suspects during the operation dubbed as “Oplan Megashopper” held last Wednesday, Jan. 8, for violation of Republic Act 4653, a law which prohibits the commercial importation of secondhand clothing to the country.
The CIDG did not immediately confirm whether the suspects were foreigners or Filipinos.
According to Torre, PNP Chief, Police Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil directed the CIDG to operate on an information that the target warehouses located in Meycauayan City were storing allegedly smuggled ukay-ukay.
During the operation, authorities confiscated 23,614 bundles of assorted secondhand clothes worth P46 million, a truck, assorted business documents, passports, and identification cards.
The operation was conducted in coordination with the Central Luzon Police Regional Office (PRO-3) and Bulacan Provincial Police Office (PPO).
“Ang mga ganitong operasyon ay patunay ng aming dedikasyon sa paglaban sa mga krimen na sumisira sa ekonomiya ng bansa. Patuloy kaming magbabantay upang masiguro ang kaligtasan at kapakanan ng bawat Pilipino (These operations are a testament to our dedication to fight crimes that destroy our country’s economy. We will continue to be vigilant to ensure the safety and welfare of each Filipino people),” Torre said.
The suspects and the seized items were placed under the custody of the CIDG Regional Field Unit in Central Luzon for proper documentation and further legal action.