High-ranking “pharma employees” nabbed for selling overpriced face masks

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu – Three persons including two men who claimed to be employees of a pharmaceutical company were arrested by police for selling overpriced face masks at 12 noon today, April 17, 2020, inside a parking lot of a shopping mall in Barangay Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City.

The entrapment operation was jointly conducted by the City Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The suspects were identified Joefel Artajo, 40, of Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City; Fernard Gemina, 34, of Barangay Yati, Lilo-an, Cebu and businesswoman Marife Aclao, 42, also of Barangay, Paknaan, Mandaue.

Police said Artajo identified himself as a Sales Marketing Supervisor of a pharmaceutical company with Gemina as an Assistant Manager. However, investigators are withholding the name of the company pending verification of this information.

According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Mark Gifter Sucalit, Chief of City Intelligence Unit (CIU) that they transacted with the suspects online and found that the N95 face masks were overpriced, thus, they coordinated with the FDA and conducted the entrapment operation.

Police ordered 100 pieces of N95 face masks which the suspects sold for P250 each. The police used boodle money with two P500 genuine bills on top to appear as P25,000.

The suggested retails price of the N95 face mask is around P150 per piece.

The police also recovered 1,020 N95 face masks worth P255,000 based on the sellers’ bloated price.

Lapu-Lapu City mayor Junard Chan who was alerted by the police of the arrest, reiterated his warning to those who are selling overpriced items especially medical materials, to stop their illegal transactions.

The suspects will be charged with violation of RA 7581 (Price Act) as amended by RA 10623, RA 9711 (FDA Act of 2009), and RA 7394 (Consumer Act of the Phils) in relation to Presidential Proclamation No 922./rcg