Customs seizes P600 million worth of fake beauty products in Manila

Operatives of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) have seized various brands of counterfeit beauty and skin care products on separate occasions in Manila, the bureau said Wednesday.

Agents of the Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) inspected some warehouses in Building 1336 on Antonio Rivera Street in Tondo and Dona Maria Lim building on Ilang Ilang Street in Binondo, following leads from a tip.

The warehouses turned out to have been storing fake beauty products and other merchandise.

Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña together with representatives of some known brands inspected the fake products valued at P600 million on Wednesday.

The bureau noted the respective occupants of the warehouses also violated the Intellectual Property Law.

Some brand owners, who provided the BOC with vital information, noted a certain Kevin Lee has been occupying the warehouse while the warehouse in Binondo was supposedly occupied by a certain Anthony Lee and a Brian Lee.

These individuals are supposedly business partners, according to the BOC.

“We are now coordinating with other brand owners to identify whether their products found in both warehouses are counterfeit,” Lapeña said.

“Smugglers nowadays are bold to import these counterfeit items because majority of the Filipinos patronize fake products because of its cheaper price. Kayang-kaya ng budget at mura kumpara sa original pero the continuous usage of these products pose harm to our health,” he said.

Lapeña noted the occupants were given 15 days to provide the necessary documents to prove that the products are genuine.

He warned the public at large to stay cautious in using beauty products as some of these might contain poisonous chemicals.

“These are unfit for human consumption. Hindi rin sila dumaan sa quality control, these products might contain poisonous chemicals na hindi naman nila ini-indicate sa package,” he said.

“Before buying a product, check if it went quality control. The safety of our family lies also in the quality of products we buy,” Lapeña noted. —VDS, GMA News