Photo courtesy of PNP
An Australian was arrested in Cagayan de Oro City after authorities allegedly caught him selling imported automotive batteries without the required government clearance.
The 59-year-old suspect, identified only as alias “Frank,” was nabbed on Aug. 25 in Barangay Iponan during an operation led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Authorities said the batteries were allegedly sourced from China and lacked required Import Commodity Clearance stickers. The Department of Trade and Industry also found that the suspect had no authority to sell the products.
Police said the suspect had no established physical store and was allegedly using a rented house near Barangay Iponan as a storage and distribution point.
The operation yielded several lead-acid batteries used as buy-bust items, along with additional stocks that brought the estimated value of the seized products to Php 1.58 million.
Investigators also recovered a genuine Php 1,000 bill, boodle money and a receipt allegedly used during the transaction.
Police said complaints for alleged violations of the Consumer Act of the Philippines and Republic Act No. 4109 were being prepared for inquest proceedings, while the suspect and seized evidence remained under CIDG custody.