Police and Barangay Barucboc officials in Quezon, Isabela, arrested on Wednesday a dealer of fake cigarettes who was caught selling reams of counterfeit Mighty and Marvels cigarettes to a sari-sari store.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and law enforcement agencies have been vigilant against dealers of fake products over the past few months as these do not pay the proper taxes and do not contribute to the country’s economy.
The store helper went to the barangay hall and sought the assistance of tanods after a dubious male came by to sell cartons of suspicious cigarettes to the store owner’s daughter who held the suspect pretending she was buying.
The barangay officials immediately proceeded to the store and caught the 33-year-old suspect in the act of selling fake Mighty and Marvels menthol and full flavor variants to the sari-sari store.
Moments later, a Mighty Corp. representative came by the store and confirmed that the cigarette variants were indeed counterfeit.
The suspect, a resident of Brgy. Manano, Mallig, Isabela, was arrested and subsequently turned over to the Philippine National Police station in Quezon town for violating Section 155, in relation to Section 170, of Republic Act No. 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code, which became the basis for filing the criminal case docketed as No. INQ-II-04-2016G-00036 and Criminal Case no. 16-214 at 12th MCTC Malling, Quezon, Isabela.
The suspect, however, was released from police custody after posting a P10,000 bail as recommended by the provincial fiscal.
Tax officials have repeatedly warned counterfeiters, individuals and business establishments against the sale and distribution of fake cigarettes or any such products.