Chinese woman, helper nabbed; P2.2M ‘ukay-ukay’ seized in Dumaguete raid

At least 300 bales of used clothing or ukay ukay are confiscated by Dumaguete Police in a raid on a residence of a Chinese woman. | Florence Baesa

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental — A Chinese woman and a helper were arrested  with P2.2 million worth of used clothing locally known as “ukay-ukay” in a raid in the afternoon of January 23, 2020 in Barangay Banilad, Dumaguete City.

Gou Xin Huo, also known as Alex, 48, and temporarily residing in Barangay Banilad, and Lauro Ramirez, also known as Toto, 28, of Barangay Mandalagan, Bacolod City and temporarily residing in Barangay Batinguel, Dumaguete City, were arrested during the 1:15 p.m. raid in the Gou’s temporary residence along National Highway of the barangay, said Police Colonel Julian Entoma, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office chief.

Entoma said that police arrested the two suspects after they served a search warrant to Guo allowing them to search her residence.

The search warrant was issued by Judge Dinah Tabada-Chiu of the Municipal Trial Court in  ities (MTCC) Branch 1.

The joint police operation led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Huesca of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group served the warrant to Guo and arrested her and confiscated 332 bales of used clothing and six bales of shoes with an estimated worth of P2,216,000.

Guo and Ramirez would be charged with violation of Republic Act No. 4653 or “An act to safeguard the health of the people and maintain the dignity of the nation by declaring it a national policy to prohibit the commercial importation of textile articles commonly known as used clothing and rags.” /dbs