OVER 2K REFURBISHED LAPTOPS SEIZED IN SUBIC FREEPORT RAID

BY KEVIN GALANG

MORE than 2,000 refurbished laptops worth at least P12.19 million were confiscated while five persons on Thursday were arrested by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) during the implementation of “Oplan Megashopper” drive inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

According to CIDG Regional Field Unit 3 (RFU30 chief Col. Grant Gollod, the operation was carried out by joint CIDG units based on a search warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court in Olongapo City for violation of Article 18(a) of Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

The search was conducted at a warehouse located at Subic Bay Gateway Park, Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Gollod said arrested were Chinese nationals  alias “Gong,” 29; alias “Feng,” 49; alias “Zeng,” 46; and alias “Xiao,” 57,  and alias “Bora,” a 61-year-old Filipino national. 

The arrested were company personnel,  administrative staff, supervisors, general manager, and an employee-translator of the company.  They are now in the custody of the CIDG.

The alleged owner of the raided firm, an alias “Jia,” also a Chinese national, remains at-large.

Confiscated were  460 units of Dell Chromebooks, 600 Acer Chromebooks, 690 HP Chromebooks, and 650 Lenovo Chromebooks, as well as 65 assorted mobile phones, an order book, a backjob checklist report, and a Bureau of Customs (BOC) certificate of registration. 

The seized items were estimated to be worth around P12.19 million.

Gollod said the operation was the result of a four-month intelligence-driven investigation that began in October 2025 following information from a confidential informant. 

An investigation revealed that the suspects were allegedly assembling and refurbishing laptops inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone — an area intended for export-only operations — and illegally selling the products to the local market.

Authorities said the items were sold both in physical stores and online platforms at very low prices without approval from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), allowing the suspects to evade taxes and duties while creating unfair competition that harmed legitimate businesses.

Charges for violations of the Consumer Act of the Philippines, Unfair Competition, and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act are now being prepared against the arrested individuals.

The arrested suspects were brought to the CIDG Olongapo City Field Unit for proper disposition, while pertinent documents are being finalized for the filing of criminal charges before the Olongapo City Prosecutor’s Office.