The Provincial Intelligence Branch and the Special Operations Group of the Philippine National Police late Wednesday afternoon swooped down on a store in downtown Dumaguete following reports it is allegedly selling fake Mighty brand cigarettes.
The team, under the supervision of the Supt. Crisaleo Tolentino, was armed with a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 33 Judge Roderick Maxino against a certain Wilson Sy of Lucky Dgt Enterprises 999 located at Surban St. in Dumaguete.
According to the team leader, SPO4 Allen June Germodo, a certain Ernie Reyes Lozada of Mighty corporation came to complain about the store, Lucky Dgt Enterprises 999, for allegedly selling fake Mighty cigarettes at a very low prize, instead of P19,000 as the original price, it can be bought at P10,000, based on a test buy they have conducted two weeks ago.
After the test buy, the reams of cigarettes were brought to their laboratory in Manila through LBC courier for testing and it was discovered that the cigarettes were fake.
In the presence of village chief Anthony Ozoa of Poblacion 3 and the media, the raiding team confiscated a total of 34 cartons of Mighty Cigarettes, one carton of which contains 50 reams.
They were confiscated in the presence also of a certain Helen, Chinese-speaking, and through her daughter who can speak English said they don’t know about the Mighty cigarettes.
The search warrant was issued for alleged violation of Sections 155 and 168 of RA 8293, which is an Act Prescribing the Intellectual Property Code and Establishing the intellectual property of its powers and functions and for other purposes.
The confiscated items will be returned tomorrow to the court which issued the search warrant. (JFP/JG)
