Four persons were taken into police custody on Monday for allegedly selling boxes of fake food seasoning in Mandaue City.
Charges of counterfeiting or selling of fake products were filed against Jaime Macabenta, 52; Noralyn Ancajas, 29; both residents of San Antonio Street, barangay Cambaru, Mandaue; Christina Boris, 31, and her live-in-partner Harly Ang, 31, residents of San Nicolas, Cebu City.
The charges were filed yesterday with the Mandaue City Prosecutorss Office.
A suspected cohort Victoria Rosada is still at large, police said.
The suspects allegedly sold fake Maggi Magic Sarap, a product of Nestle Philppines.
Macabenta and Ancajas were apprehended at the Mandaue Public Market by Jessriel Pactol, 32, a senior salesman of Humabon Distributors Inc., and Jospeh Dabon, a member of Janitorial Services and Security Unit (JASSU).
Pactol told police that he started monitoring the group after losing customers to a distributor who was selling the same product at a cheaper price.
Police said a fake box of Magic Sarap was sold at P1,450 while the original product is sold at P1,600 per box.
A dozen packs of fake Magic Sarap was sold at P26 while the original product would cost P35 per dozen.
“The granules of the fake products are smaller having a crème color while the original seasoning has bigger yellowish granules and its packing is totally different,” said Senior Insp. Jimmy Fortes, deputy chief of the Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO).
Macabenta and Ancajas were turned over to the police after they were apprehended at the public market.
Seized during the apprehension were 115 dozens of fake Magic Sarap.
Maricel Mali-os, supervisor of Nestle Philippines, confirmed that the seized items were fake Magic Sarap.
Five hours after the apprehension at the public market, Ang and Boris were cornered by barangay officials in barangay Cambaru.
Police said 21 boxes of fake Magic Sarap were seized from a van-type multicab boarded by the couple.
Boris told police that the boxes of food seasoning were ordered through a text message by Victoria.
Boris told police that they ordered the fake food seasoning from a certain Randy.
Police said further investigation will be made to identify the supplier of the fake products.