Counterfeit apparel valued at an estimated P482 million was seized by the Bureau of Customs, the agency reported on Thursday.
In a statement, the BOC said the shipments arrived at the Port of Manila in August 2025 and originated from Bangladesh.
‘To evade the BOC’s profiling system, these were transshipped to Singapore before being forwarded to Manila. The containers were flagged for examination following intelligence reports indicating possible misdeclaration and suspected Intellectual Property Rights infringement,’ said BOC.
BOC said during a 100 percent physical inspection conducted on October 9, 2025, customs authorities confirmed that the shipments contained 1,287 boxes of counterfeit branded apparel misdeclared as socks.
Each item was estimated to have a market value of P2,500, amounting to a total of P482,625,000.
‘The items bore the trademarks of multiple global and local brands, including but not limited to Jag, Bench, Zara, Givenchy, Fubu, Lee, HandM, Cotton On, Lacoste, Burberry, Essentials, Champion, Jordan, Levi’s, Bathing Ape, Oakley, RRJ, Calvin Klein, and Off-white,’ said BOC.
A Warrant of Seizure and Detention has been issued on October 28, 2025, for violations of Section 118 (Prohibited Importation and Exportation) in relation to Sections 1113 and 1401 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and Republic Act No. 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.
According to BOC, the shipments are now subject to condemnation, adding that they are pursuing the filing of criminal charges against the parties involved.