CIDG seizes P201M worth of counterfeit footwear in Bulacan

Authorities seized counterfeit footwear worth P201 million in Bulacan, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said Wednesday.

The five Chinese nationals who were arrested in the two-day operation are Chu Jen Huang, 64; Wu Gu Ding, 60; Lin Chang Jiang, 33; Shuzhen Wang, 27; and Zhengfeng Lin, 37.

During Monday’s operation, the CIDG said 1,311 sacks containing 62,000 pairs of footwear worth P180 million were confiscated from Chu, Wu, and Lin in King Sport Property Compound in Marilao.

During Tuesday’s operation, the CIDG said over 80 sacks containing footwear worth P20 million were confiscated from Shuzhen and Zhengfeng in a warehouse in Bocaue.

Police also seized pieces of evidence worth P1.01 million, including sacks containing counterfeit footwear and cash in different denominations amounting to P24,400.

CIDG chief Police Brigadier General Romeo Caramat Jr. said the arrested individuals presented themselves as authorized distributors of the products and claimed that the items were original.

"Further investigation is being conducted by the detectives of CIDG 3 to identify and locate the supplier of the seized counterfeit products," Caramat said.

The arrested suspects and confiscated evidence were brought to the CIDG Region 3 office for documentation and proper disposition.

A criminal complaint for violation of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines will be filed against the arrested persons. —VBL, GMA Integrated News