P70-M fake goods seized in Binondo raid

MANILA, Philippines - At least P70 million worth of counterfeit goods were seized by government operatives during a raid on a warehouse of an online shopping firm in Binondo, Manila Tuesday.

LFA Enterprises is considered the top supplier of online shopping websites in the country but the company was found to be selling counterfeit goods to online shoppers, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Director Benjamin Magalong said.

He said the raid stemmed from complaints filed by several firms on the proliferation of counterfeit products marketed and sold online – mobile phones, tablets, power banks and blenders.

LFA Enterprises is neither a licensee nor a distributor and it is not an authorized outlet of the firms that own the brands, officials said.

“Mostly, if not all of the items found were all made in China, while Samsung and Hyundai gadgets have marks bearing ‘made in Korea’, they are however found stuffed in boxes with Chinese markings printed with ‘Made in China,’ which bolsters the findings that these are not only counterfeit products, but also smuggled articles,” said Ben Entico, special assistant to Port of Manila district collector Mario Mendoza, who issued a warrant of seizure and detention.

The government has launched follow-up operations to pin down and file charges against those behind the operations of LFA Enterprises. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Evelyn Macairan