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HomeFront PageBreaking NewsNBI raids Sari-Sari store in Iligan City for selling ‘stolen’ medicines

NBI raids Sari-Sari store in Iligan City for selling ‘stolen’ medicines

ILIGAN City–Operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation–Iligan District Office (NBI-Iligan) raided around 5 p.m. on Monday (July 22) a sari-sari store and seized various medicines worth around P2 million in Purok 9, Barangay Palao this city.

Atty. Abdul Jamal Dimaporo, head of NBI-Iligan, said a courier company requested that one of their employees, a delivery man, be investigated after several companies, including a pharmaceutical company did not want to pay a supposed shipment because it was not delivered to them.

Ilian Macala, franchise owner of Air 21 in Iligan, said he lost almost P500,000 of supposed payment from their clients because the shipment was not delivered to them.

Boehringer Ingelhem (Philippines), Inc. in Iligan also complained that their latest shipment of medicines for diabetes was not delivered.

It was then found out that the delivery man of the courier company, Jalil Bangcola, 42, instead delivered and sold the shipment to a sari-sari store owner who have been selling sample medicines for lower price.

Bangcola, in an interview, admitted he sold shipment of medicines twice, the first was sometime in March this year.

Florencia Hinampas, the Sari-Sari store owner, said she has been in the business for four years but she did not know that the medicines she is selling illegal.

His nephew, Dindo Ebarle, who was in the store when the NBI operatives arrived, attended the store for two years.
Ebarle said, several medical representatives went to him and offer to sell their physician sample medicines in low price. He did not mention how many times Bangcola have sold him boxes of medicines.

Authorities arrested Ebarle and Bangcola and are now at the custody of the NBI awaiting for the filing of appropriate charges.

Dimaporo said, despite selling authentic medicines, Ebarle is still facing charges in violation of Presidential Decree Number 1612 or the Anti-Fencing Law and the rules and regulations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for selling medicines that require doctor’s prescription.

“Kasi itong mga gamot na para sa high blood, para sa diabetes, itong mga antibiotics, kung hindi tama ang prescription, nakakasama ito sa tao. Maraming bumibili dito na walang resita ng doctor,” Dimaporo said.

(These medicines for high blood, for diabetes, these antibiotics, if not properly prescribed is harmful to the patients.)

Hinampas is subject for further investigation.

Macala is filing qualified theft charges against Bangcola, who admitted he sold the boxes of medicines because he needed money for his family.

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