P30-M ‘hot’ cell phones seized in San Juan

At least P30 million worth of cell phones and assorted electronic equipment were seized yesterday during simultaneous raids staged by the Presidential Anti- Smuggling Group (PASG) in San Juan City.

PASG head Undersecretary Antonio Villar, Jr. personally led the raid on a warehouse on Eisenhower street and the MR Dynamic Telephone store in the Greenhills shopping complex at about 11:30 a.m.

A certain Chester Tan, an importer of electronics products, owns the warehouse and the store but was not around during the raids.

The store alone yielded 32 cell phones, as well as computers and Ipods, estimated at P5 million.

The PASG Strategic Information Service (SIS) reported that close to P30 million worth of smuggled goods are stored in the warehouse. Authorities are currently conducting an inventory of the stored items.

“We are sending a strong signal to those engaged in the smuggling of electronics products that we mean business. They should engage in business legally or PASG will be at their tails,” Villar said.

He lauded the PASG-SIS, headed by Benny Kho, which is tasked to monitor other firms reportedly engaged in the illegal importation of electronic products.

The twin raids were conducted based on a mission order issued following two weeks of surveillance by Kho’s men.