Arraignment for 6 Chinese on fake cigarettes rap set

THE Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 10 scheduled next month the arraignment for the six Chinese nationals accused in the proliferation of the fake cigarettes in Davao City.

Presiding Judge Retrina Fuentes of the RTC Branch 10 scheduled the arraignment on September 15 at 8:30 a.m. Fuentes set the arraignment after the charges filed against the six accused were forwarded to them, two weeks ago.

Yuequn Shi, owner of a cigarette warehouse in Buhangin, is charged with five counts of trademark infringement, five counts unfair competition, five counts of false designation of origin, false description, and intellectual property code.

His relatives named: Chun Qun; Mei Qun; Jian Qun; Tian Pei; and Lian Zai, all Shi, are also charged with six counts for a trademark infringement, six counts unfair competition and six counts false designation of origin and false description.

Court record showed that the six accused were arrested by the members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Davao last July 21, following the 48 search warrants issued by the same court on several warehouse here.

Aside from the warehouse at San Pedro Village in Buhangin District, the accused also had warehouse at Rivera Village in Bajada, on F. Bangoy Street, at 6th Avenue and other areas in Agdao District, and along Sta. Ana Avenue, Poblacion.

CIDG-Davao authorities conducted the raid following the complaint of the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation Inc. (PMFTC) on proliferation of counterfeit cigarette products in the local market—Marlboro, More, Fortune, Mark, etc.

A hold departure order has been also issued by the RTC Branch 10, dated last August 11, directing the Bureau of Immigration to prevent the six accused from leaving the country.