P4.8B worth of fake bags, vapes seized in Binondo

Inquirer files

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Monday said it confiscated an estimated P4.8 billion worth of suspected smuggled vapes, counterfeit branded items, cosmetics and general merchandise from a warehouse in Binondo, Manila.

Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said in a statement that the Sept. 6 raid was one of the bureau’s biggest operations this year in terms of the value of the goods recovered.

Rubio said the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) with personnel from the Enforcement and Security Service-MICP and Philippine Coast Guard foiled the attempted smuggling of the counterfeit items and other merchandise.

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According to BOC-CIIS Director Verne Enciso, the team discovered boxes of goods with copyright violations, from luxury brands like Dior to popular characters for kids such as Hello Kitty and Spiderman.

He said different floors of the storage building were discovered to contain suspected smuggled disposable vapes, vape accessories and branded garments as well as designer bags like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Adidas, Nike and NBA.

They also found school supplies of popular characters such as Hello Kitty, Spiderman and Disney characters, as well as aerosols, cosmetics, tools and other general merchandise.

Pending the final inventory of the goods, the BOC team temporarily padlocked and sealed the subject storage areas.

The warehouse owners and operators were given 15 days from the delivery of the letter of authority to submit documents showing that the subject imported goods were legitimately imported and that correct duties and taxes were duly paid.