Manila warehouse yields fake drugs wrapped in Pacman’s brand

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recently seized caches of counterfeit drugs in Manila, including tablets packaged as a brand of pain relievers endorsed by boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.

A raid last week by the NBI’s Intellectual Property Rights Division on a warehouse on Zamora Street in the Paco district yielded fake Dolfenal, Bioflu and Alaxan 200 tablets.

Two other warehouses were raided by the NBI in Pasig City and Tondo, Manila, but both operations yielded negative results.

The crackdown stemmed from the complaint filed by United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab), the local distributor of the drugs, and by virtue of a search warrant issued by Judge Joselito Villarosa of Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 66.

The Paco warehouse, which the NBI said was owned by Salem Maruji Ahmad, yielded 38,000 tablets packaged as Dolfenal, 60,500 tablets packed as Bioflu and 53,000 tablets packed as Alaxan, the last a brand endorsed by the famous boxer and politician.

If sold to unknowing consumers, the seized drugs could fetch a total price of P1.7 million, the NBI said.

The NBI-IPRD said Ahmad, who was not found during the raid and remained at large, will be charged with trademark infringement and violation of intellectual property laws.