CAMP OLIVAS — Government authorities have arrested two Chinese nationals and two others who yielded some P32 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during a raid at a warehouse in Balagtas, Bulacan.
CIDG Region 3 chief Col. Norberto Delmas said his men and members of the Balagtas police along with representatives of PMFTC INC. and JTI Inc. conducted the raid at a warehouse in Balagtas, Bulacan resulting in confiscation of smuggled cigarettes valued at P32,500,000. They also arrested Chinese businessmen Zeng Qiangjian and Lin Shanxiong; and two Filipino helpers identified as John Bejay Cayas Agujar and Rodolfo Embalsado Brosas.
“This police operation is in line with the directive of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to conduct an extensive and massive police operation against counterfeit and smuggled goods in the country,” according to CIDG director MGen. Albert Ignatius D Ferro.
Seized in the raid were 33 cartons of Marlboro cigarettes (50 reams each carton); 41 cartons of Marvel red cigarettes (50 reams each carton); 26 cartons of Jackpot cigarettes (50 reams each carton); 41 cartons of Union cigarettes (50 reams each carton); 15 cartons of Cambo cigarettes (50 reams each carton); 262 cartons of Fortune cigarettes (50 reams each carton); 49 cartons of Mighty green cigarettes (50 reams each carton); 637 cartons of Two Moon cigarettes (50 reams each carton); 244 cartons of D&B cigarettes (50 reams each), and Isuzu elf truck; and the marked money.
Cases for violations of Art. 189 of the Revised Penal Code (Unfair Competition, Fraudulent Registration of Trademark, Trade Name or Service Mark, Fraudulent Designation of Origin and False Description), RA 7394 (The Consumer Act of the Philippines), Sec. 155.1 of RA 8293 (Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines), and RA 1937 (An Act to Revise and Codify the Tariff and Custom Law of the Philippines) were filed against the suspects before the Bulacan Provincial Prosecutors Office.
“I asked our CIDG Regional Field Office 3 to further conduct a thorough investigation to identify and locate the supplier or suppliers of these contrabands,” said CIDG Director.
“Habang ginagawa ng ating gobyerno ang lahat ng makakaya nito upang muling maiangat ang estado ng ating ekonomiya, mayroon pa ring mga indibidwal o grupo na patuloy sa pananamantala at pilit na dumadagdag sa dagok na dulot ng pandemyang nararanasan ng ating bansa,”Ferro added.