Cops raid Mandaue warehouse, seize P500-T firecrackers

MANDAUE City police yesterday raided a warehouse stocked with imported firecrackers.

A total of 107 boxes of imported firecrackers were seized by operatives of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG-7) in Hernan Cortez Avenue, barangay Subangdako, Mandaue City.

The CIDG team led by Inspector Delfin Bontuyan armed with the search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Teresita Galanida.

Bontuyan estimated the confiscated firecrackers at P500,000.

Mariano So, the owner of the warehouse, wasn’t around when the raid was conducted.

unfair competition

Police said they put the warehouse under surveillance for two weeks before they applied for a search warrant from the court.

In 2007, the Sos’ were linked to a container van full of imported firecrackers from China. So failed to present the necessary papers and the van was confiscated.

Bontuyan said finished products such as firecrackers are prohibited from being imported in the country as it will pose unfair competition to the local products.

Bontuyan said only chemical of manufacturing firecrackers are only allowed to import and not the finish products.

Earlier, local firecrackers manufacturers have complained of the proliferation of the imported firecrackers./Correspondent Chito O. ARagon