THE BUREAU of Customs (BoC) yesterday seized P700 million worth of imitation designer bags in a warehouse located in Binondo, Manila.
An official statement of the bureau said Customs Commissioner Angelito A. Alvarez led the raid and confiscated the counterfeit goods bearing luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and Burberry.
The warehouse, located on the 4th floor of Kings Plaza building, was allegedly used as a storage facility by smugglers, the Customs statement read.
The raid was a result of a joint intelligence operation conducted by the BoC and local representatives of Louis Vuitton.
Mitchell Worley, an official of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the United States Department of Homeland Security, also witnessed the raid.
“This latest accomplishment of the Bureau’s IPRD (Intellectual Property Rights Division) should serve as a stern warning to smugglers that our agency is determined to make counterfeiting and piracy unprofitable,” Mr. Alvarez said.
The confiscated contraband will be destroyed immediately, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service director Filomeno C. Vicencio, Jr. added.
Two weeks ago, the BoC also raided another warehouse containing smuggled goods in Binondo, Manila. Fake luxury bags and wallets worth at least P300 million were confiscated then.
The BoC, responsible for a fifth of state revenues, is tasked to collect P320 billion in duties and taxes this year.
According to preliminary data, the bureau had raked in P149.48 billion as of July, far short its P170.72-billion goal. It was also a slight 2.28% dip from the P152.97 billion collected in the same period last year.
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By: D. C. J. Jiao
Source: Business World, Aug. 24, 2011
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