Authorities arrested five individuals for allegedly producing and selling fake vehicle license plates and Land Transportation Office (LTO) documents during an entrapment operation along C.M. Recto Avenue in Sta. Cruz on Thursday.
LOOK: Arestado ang limang indibidwal matapos mahuli sa aktong gumagawa at nagbebenta ng pekeng plaka at mga dokumento ng sasakyan sa Recto Ave. sa Maynila.
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) March 12, 2026
Nakumpiska sa operasyon ang tatlong pekeng plaka, sampung driver’s license, at apat na official receipt ng lisensya.… pic.twitter.com/bBTcNDim9I
According to a report by RH Boy Gonzales, the operation was conducted by the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group through its Anti-Organized Crime Unit, led by Dominick Poblete, in coordination with the Land Transportation Office – Law Enforcement Service.
Authorities said the operation was carried out at around 5:30 p.m. on March 12, 2026, following information from a confidential informant about a group allegedly engaged in the production and sale of counterfeit motor vehicle plate numbers, driver’s licenses, and official receipts.
Operatives first conducted a transaction with the suspects as part of the entrapment before arresting them while they were allegedly in the act of producing and selling the fake documents.
Seized during the operation were three fake license plates, 10 counterfeit driver’s licenses, and four official receipts for licenses. Authorities also recovered three marked ₱500 bills used in the operation.
An inventory of the confiscated items was conducted at the site in the presence of barangay officials.
The suspects are currently under the custody of the CIDG Anti-Organized Crime Unit as authorities prepare charges for violations of Republic Act 4136, Republic Act 11235, and Article 172 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines for falsification of official documents.
