Joint inter-agency government operatives raided a warehouse of a top online shop supplier in Binondo, Manila and seized various counterfeit smartphones, electronic gadgets, and accessories worth at an estimated P70 million on Monday, Dec. 15.
Among the items seized are counterfeit Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Grand, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPhone 4S, Nokia dual SIM phones, assorted Android tablets of various brands, Apple Shuffle, smartphone casings, power banks, juice blender, and Lacoste perfumes, among others.
Some of the seized items do not have ICC marks required for imported electronic products and accessories.
The raided warehouse located in Barraca Street in Binondo belonged to LFA Enterprises who claims to be the number one supplier in the Philippines of electronic gadgets, toiletries, small home appliances, and accessories to various popular online shopping sites.
The raid was conducted by the combined operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHL) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Enforcement (NICE) Team and the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG), based on the strength of a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) issued by Port of Manila District Collector Mario Mendoza.
The WSD was issued on the complaint of several brand holders and their representatives on the proliferation of counterfeit products being marketed and sold online. Also present during the raid were representatives of several brand holders.
The BOC NICE?CIDG Team is conducting follow through operations and investigations to pin down and file charges against those behind the LFA operations.
According to the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR), the government has seized P13.3-billion worth of fake goods in the first 11 months of the year with the biggest contribution coming from the joint operations conducted by the BOC, NBI, PNP, IPOPHL hauling in P9.34-billion worth of counterfeit products.
