Manila, Philippines -- Seven suspects involved in the production of counterfeit HP Inks and Supplies were arrested by operatives of the PNP-NCR Crime Detection Unit, in coordination with the HP Southeast Asia Anti-Counterfeiting (ACF) group. The authorities seized 632 finished and 1,172 unfinished inks, 50 finished and 121 unfinished toners, 35 fake toner boxes, 2,000 ink security labels, 4,600 ink body labels, 1,515 counterfeit ink boxes, 1,000 counterfeit foil ink pouches, 6 refilling machines, 45 kilograms of bulk toner powder, and boxes containing thousands of assorted spares and parts, from separate raids conducted in 13 different locations in Paranaque and Makati recently.

The crackdown halted the assembly and production, sourcing and storing of the materials, and distribution and sales of these counterfeit products. Investigators revealed that based on some recovered business records and documents, around 1,500 toners and 4,000 ink cartridges were being manufactured and distributed in Metro Manila and nearby provinces every month.

The authorities also recovered documents showing the alleged import of product packaging, cartridge parts and raw materials from China and South Korea. They also found some equipment used to produce the counterfeit products.

“We warn consumers about the proliferation of fake HP inks and toners in the market. These imitations may cause your printers to fail and yield inferior print outs,” said Jeff Kwasny, director of HP Brand Protection for print cartridges based in Palo Alto, California, USA. “We salute the PNP and the Southeast Asia Anti-Counterfeiting group for spearheading the crackdown of these illegal businesses.”

HP continues to encourage consumers to be vigilant against counterfeiters by reporting these illegal businesses to the proper authorities.