OPERATIVES of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested a Chinese businessman for alleged involvement in the illegal trade of lighters in a raid in Pulilan town in Bulacan.
The operation also resulted in the seizure of 3,320 boxes of substandard lighters, worth P16.6 million, the CIDG said in a statement.
The CIDG named the arrested suspect only as “Shu”, 31, manager of the warehouse at the Richfield Industrial compound in Barangay Sta. Peligrina in Pulilan, which was raided last Thursday.
The raid was conducted by operatives of the CIDG Regional Field Unit 3-Special Operations Team and CIDG Bulacan Provincial Field Unit by virtue of a search warrant for violation of Republic Act 7394 (Consumer Act of the Philippines).
The CIDG said the suspect was caught allegedly in the act of “trading, distribution, and storage of Yowant brand lighters without the required clearance from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Bureau of Philippine Standards.”
The CIDG said the absence of the required Import Commodity Clearance or Philippine Standard mark on the seized lighters “constitutes a violation of consumer protection standards, thus falling short of legal requirements and rendering them unfit for trading.”
With the successful operation, acting CIDG director Maj. Robert Morico II said, “We significantly safeguard our consumers from the potential risks to health and safety that these illicit products may cause.”
“And we held the law violator accountable,” added Morico, referring to Shu.
Morico reiterated that the CIDG remains “steadfast in enforcing all the laws, and dauntless on all violators- Filipinos or foreign nationals. “
“We urge the public to be vigilant in buying consumer products by checking for the DTI certification or clearance and report to CIDG all suspicious and illegal trading in your localities, and your CIDG will do the rest,” said Morico.
