Cops raid Greenhills stalls

Hundreds of policemen in full battle gear stormed the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan yesterday in a raid that targeted stalls selling fake goods.

Elements of the Regional Special Action Unit (RSAU) of the National Capital Region Police (NCRPO) caught vendors by surprise shortly after noon as they surrounded the tiangge area, which was packed with shoppers looking for school opening bargains.

Armed with a search warrant issued by a Manila court, raiders padlocked at least 60 stalls and seized fake Louis Vuitton leather goods.

The raiders also confiscated fake apparel, shoes and perfume carrying labels of known manufacturers despite protests from the merchants. No arrests were made.

"We are still conducting an inventory," Metro police chief Director Vidal Querol said when asked of the volume of goods seized by the raiding team.

Several stall owners and their employees denounced the raid, saying they are being deprived of their livelihood,

"Ang mga paninda ko, kinuha ko lang sa Instik ang mga iyon. Walo ang anak ko, at pag kinuha ninyo pa yan, magugutom kami," cried a female trader as she tried to plead her case with members of the police raiding team.

She did not deny that her stall sells fake merchandise, and argued that "everybody does the same."