52 bundles of ukay-ukay seized; vendor arrested

CEBU, Philippines —  At least 52 bundles of assorted secondhand clothing, locally known as “ukay-ukay,” were confiscated from a female vendor, who was arrested, during a joint entrapment operation inside a warehouse in Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City.

The entrapment was conducted Thursday afternoon (December 11), as part of the Operation Law Enforcement Activity (OLEA).

Operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Regional Field Unit 7 (CIDG RFU-7), in coordination with Station 2 of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), spearheaded the entrapment.

Authorities identified the suspect as 26-year-old Roselaine Bersosa Licayo, a native of Isabela province, who is temporarily residing at Hernan Cortes Street in Mandaue City. She is working as an admin staff of the ukay-ukay warehouse located at P. Basubas Street in Barangay Tipolo.

The CIDG FRU-7 received verified intelligence reports indicating Licayo’s ongoing illegal trading of imported ukay-ukay products, which constituted a violation of Republic Act 4653.

RA 4653 is a law from 1966 that prohibits the commercial importation of used clothing and rags [ukay-ukay] to protect public health and maintain national dignity.

Responding to the report, CIDG and police authorities planned and executed a buy-bust/entrapment operation targeting Licayo.

During the operation, a poseur-buyer successfully bought, using marked money, two bundles of ukay-ukay products from Licayo. Subsequently, due to the confirmation of the illegal sale and exchange done in the entrapment, the suspect was arrested.

Found and seized from the warehouse were another 50 bundles of assorted clothing or ukay-ukay, in addition to the two bundles that the poseur-buyer earlier bought.

Based on the conducted on-site inventory, CIDG-7 confirmed that the confiscated pieces of evidence have an estimated value of up to P364,000.

The arrested Licayo was brought to the CIDG Mandaue City Field Unit for further investigation, pending the filing of appropriate charges against her. (CEBU NEWS)