VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPE #2362 1921937
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111937Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6112
INFO RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 1740
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS LIMA 002362

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

COMMERCE PASS TO USPTO BMCCAFFREY, JMORALES & CBERDUT
COMMERCE FOR 4331/MAC/WH/MCAMERON
USTR FOR BHARMAN & MCARRILLO
SAO PAULO FOR DMAZURKEVICH

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KIPR ETRD KCRM USTR PE
SUBJECT: MASSIVE RAID ON NOTORIOUS PIRATED GOODS MARKET

¶1. (U)  Before dawn on July 8, hundreds of Peruvian National
Police (PNP) officers and Public Ministry prosecutors raided
one of Peru's largest markets, El Hueco, notorious for
selling pirated medicines, music and movies.  They seized
about 900 sacks (each the size of a large garbage bag) filled
with a total of 40 tons of CDs, DVDs, medicines, clothing,
and cell phones from the downtown Lima market.  The seizure
was the largest so far this year.  Once the investigation is
completed, all of the seized goods will be destroyed.

¶2. (U)  Peruvian National Police (PNP) General Octavio
Salazar, chief of the 7th Police Region, presented the seized
goods to the press on July 9.  He estimated the value of the
medicines alone at 15 million soles (under $5 million).  The
fake and pirated medicines included supposed antibiotics,
fever reducers, cough syrups, contraceptive pills, creams,
and injectables.  Their ingredients included ground chalk,
colorings, contaminated water, and other substances.  General
Salazar said the seized items also included medicines stolen
from the government's health insurance agency (EsSalud) and
the Armed Forces, pharmaceuticals not approved by Peru's FDA
equivalent, and expired medicines for which the expiration
date had been altered.  He said the traffickers of the fake
and pirated medicines were not arrested in the raid, but that
the police had the leads necessary to track them down.

¶3. (SBU)  Pablo Seminario, the head of Peru's First
Prosecutor's Office for Customs and Intellectual Property
Crimes and one of the raid's masterminds, had informed us on
July 4 that the raid would take place.  He noted that raids
on this market had been planned on several previous
occasions, but that they were not carried out or failed
because the vendors had been alerted beforehand.  After the
successful raid, Seminario told us that 60 prosecutors
participated and that the element of surprise had been
intact.  Seminario, along with other prosecutors and police
participating in the raid, has received USG-sponsored IPR
enforcement training.
STRUBLE