THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) spearheaded a joint enforcement operation with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) at a warehouse in Valenzuela City that resulted to the seizure of counterfeit perfume and other cosmetic products worth ₱705 million.
Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno on April 10 issued a ‘Letter of Authority’ (LOA) to the joint government team headed by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) MICP Field Station under Joel Pinawin for the operation after validation of the intelligence report received by the Customs chief.
Right after, the CIIS, together with the Customs Police (ESS) and their counterpart from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the PCG conducted a search of the facility that resulted to the discovery of a large volume of counterfeit cosmetic items and luxury-inspired perfumes bearing the marks of various international brands such as:
Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Versace, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, Bulgari, Giorgio Armani, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Paco Rabanne, Issey Miyake, Jo Malone, Davidoff, Lanvin Éclat, Victoria’s Secret, among others.
The initial assessment placed the value of the seized goods at ₱705,168,000.00, the BOC said in a statement the following day.
“We made sure to act on the information immediately. Once the intelligence was validated and access to the warehouse was being delayed, we secured the necessary authority without hesitation so we could properly enter and inspect the premises.
“This kind of swift, coordinated action is crucial to prevent counterfeit goods from being moved or concealed,” Commissioner Nepomuceno said as he also lauded the operating units for a job well done.