P25-M counterfeit drugs seized

A container van loaded with P25 million worth of fake medicines was confiscated by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) at the Manila International Container Port (MICP). Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said there were 20 pallets of counterfeit medicines found inside the 40-footer container van consigned to Mountain Glory Agri Sales Corp. These medicines bear the brands like Simvastatin, Centrum Multivitamins, Perigo (Ibuprofen), and Amoxycillin, among others. He said the consignee is not accredited by the Food and Drugs Administration to import medicines, thus making its operations illegal. “It has no license,” Biazon said as he personally inspected the illegally imported goods at the Manila port. The commissioner said that Mountain Glory is answerable for violation of R.A. 8293 or the Intellectual Property Rights Law in relation to R.A. 9711 or the Food and Drugs Administration Law. Personnel of the Customs Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPRD) got suspicious over the shipment when they noticed that the counterfeit medicines were stored in a “dry” container van with no temperature control and they were right on the dot. Lawyer Zsae Carrie De Guzman, head of the IPRD, said the seized medicines were either about to expire, if not fit for human consumption. This was the second time in May that the BOC-IPRD has confiscated counterfeit items entering the ports.

Recently, they raided two storage facilities in Tondo, Manila based on the Letter of Authority issued by Biazon. Seized were 272 boxes containing 100 reams per box of Marlboro cigarettes, 30 boxes with 50 reams of Marlboro cigarettes per box, 10 boxes of Winston cigarettes, and 11 boxes of Fortune cigarettes. Included were 432 boxes of Knorr Sinigang Mix and 23 boxes of Maggi Magic Sarap. These goods were illegally imported from China and worth P25 million.