MORE than P4 million worth of counterfeit seasoning products were seized and a Chinese national was arrested during a raid on a warehouse on P. Gullas St. in Barangay Sto. Niño, Cebu City, on Friday afternoon, Aug. 7, 2026.
Arrested was a 42-year-old Chinese national identified only by the alias Jian Zhou Lin, who allegedly claimed ownership of the counterfeit products. He was also reportedly staying at the warehouse.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Mandaue City Field Unit recovered 440 sacks, each containing two large boxes of counterfeit seasoning products, with an estimated value of P4,224,000.
According to the CIDG, the operation stemmed from a complaint filed by a food manufacturing company over the alleged sale of counterfeit products to traders at Tabo sa Banay in downtown Cebu City.
Entrapment operation
CIDG operatives validated the complaint before launching an entrapment operation under Oplan Mega Shopper, the agency’s anti-counterfeiting program.
Posing as bulk buyers, the operatives negotiated the purchase of 20 sacks, or 40 boxes, of the seasoning products worth P72,000.
When the products were presented, the operatives asked Lin whether they were counterfeit. Investigators said he claimed they came from the legitimate manufacturer and were authentic.
Products examined
After receiving the prearranged signal, operatives entered the warehouse with a representative of the complainant company.
The representative examined the products and confirmed that they were counterfeit.
Investigators said the products did not match the company’s authorized security features, product identification, markings and other distinguishing characteristics.
Lin was informed of his constitutional rights before being taken into custody.
He is being held at the CIDG 7 headquarters at Camp Sotero Cabahug in Cebu City and is set to face charges for alleged violations of Sections 155 (trademark infringement) and 168 (unfair competition) of Republic Act 8293, or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. / AYB
