An ex-felon was arrested in the San Fernando Valley after police suspected him of selling counterfeit Rolex watches to an undercover officer and carrying a loaded “ghost gun.”
Albert Bantug, 33, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Commercial Crimes Division, Illicit Pharmaceutical and Counterfeit Unit (IPCU) at approximately 11 a.m. on Thursday morning near the 20000 block of Vanowen Street in the neighborhood of Winnetka.
Detectives found a semi-automatic loaded handgun that did not have a serial number or traceable information in the Bantug’s waistband during a search, according to a news release from the LAPD.
Rolex representatives examined the watches Bantug had been selling and found them to be counterfeit and in violation of the recorded and registered trademarks. He was arrested for ex-convict with a gun and trademark infringement and booked at Van Nuys Jail.
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Any individual with information regarding counterfeit crimes is encouraged to contact Commercial Crimes Detectives at 213-486-6940.
