AGENTS of the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group seized over P201-million worth of counterfeit Crocs and Havaianas footwear and sandals during a two-day operation in Bulacan.
Nabbed were five Chinese nationals involved in the distribution and sale of the fake goods.
PNP-CIDG director Brig. Gen. Romeo M. Caramat Jr. said members of the CIDG Regional Field Unit 3, the CIDG Bulacan Provincial Field Unit and the IP Manila Associates Inc. conducted the operation, which targeted personalities involved in the smuggling, manufacturing, distribution and trading of counterfeit items and other products in the country.
Caramat said that three Chinese nationals identified as Lin Chang Jiang, 33; Wu Gu Ding, 60; and Chu Jen Huang, 64, were arrested inside the King Sport Property Compound in Bgy. Lambakin in Marilao, Bulacan on Monday.
Recovered inside the compound were 1,311 sacks containing 62,000 pairs of fake Crocs footwear worth at least P180 million.
The official said that a follow-up operation at around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday led to the arrest of two other Chinese nationals identified as Shuzhen Wang, 27; and Zhengfeng Lin, 37, after they conspired to sell counterfeit Crocs inside warehouse no. 3 in Duhat Road, Bgy. Duhat in Bocaue town.
Seized from two suspects were the buy-bust money topped by some marked bills, a white sack containing 25 pairs of counterfeit Crocs footwear, P24,400 in different denominations, and their cellphones as well as Wang’s passport ID, and Lin’s driver’s licensewhose authenticity is still being verified by the CIDG with the Land Transportation Office.
Also confiscated during the operation were two trucks found loaded with 81 sacks each containing 25 pairs of fake Crocs footwear, as well as assorted counterfeit Havaianas, Nike and Adidas footwear and sandals, valued at around P20 million.
Caramat said the suspects represent themselves as authorized distributor of Crocs products, inducing the public to believe that the goods offered are original, at a price that is way below the distributor price of the original company.
An investigation is underway to identify and arrest the main supplier of the recovered fake products.
