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P21M fake cigarettes, machines  destroyed in Porac

fake cigarettes
Heavy equipment destroys the machines used for making fake cigarettes. Photo by BERNARD GALANG

PORAC, Pampanga – Customs and Coast Guard officers led the destruction of some P21 million worth of fake cigarettes, cigarette manufacturing machines and related products at a waste disposal facility here last Monday.

The destroyed seized materials include several thousand reams of fake Two Moon, Marvel, Mighty, Fortune, Astro and The Fort.

Also destroyed were a  die cutting machine, two paper cutting machines, printing machine, two transformers, 14 pallets of packaging paper for cigarettes, 216 boxes of printing ink, and other related products.

The Digama Waste Management Services here destroyed the confiscated machines and materials through incineration, shredding and use of heavy equipment.

The products were seized from a warehouse in Valenzuela City last year.

The Bureau of Customs issued a decision for the products’ destruction pursuant to the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and the Intellectual Property Code for trademark infringement, unfair competition and false representation.

Digama president Robert Gaza said his company had destroyed seized machines and materials for the government in the past.

Last July, some P1.3 billion worth of smuggled cigarettes and fake documentary stamps seized by the BOC Port of Aparri were also destroyed here.

The seized items were destroyed after nobody claimed ownership of the items pursuant to National revenue Code and Amended Rules and Regulations Governing the Exportation and Importation of Leaf Tobacco and Tobacco products.