By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As part of a broader crackdown on illegal tobacco trade, various government agencies work in close collaboration to locate these underground manufacturing hubs and bring an end to this large-scale activity that fails to comply with existing laws and regulations.
Officials from the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) led an operation in Tanza, Cavite after receiving information about strong tobacco odor emanating from a warehouse that was previously used in storing canned goods.
The raid uncovered various equipment, raw materials, and finished products suspected to be used in the manufacture, storage, and distribution of smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes.
Based on the initial assessment conducted by the BOC, the seized items include eleven (11) suspected cigarette manufacturing machines, two (2) generator sets, one (1) forklift, and ten (10) brands of finished cigarette products.
Among the cigarette brands initially identified were Champion, Marlboro, Canon Menthol, New Orleans, Bros, New Berlin, Commando, Delta, and Troy, subject to final inventory and verification.
Fake and irregular tax stamps were also discovered by the authorities, raising suspicions of a commercial-scale operation that exploits loopholes in the tax system to avoid paying lawful levies on these tobacco products.
Initially valued at P200 million but subject for further verification by the BOC, this latest seizure underscores the seriousness of government institutions under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in the quest to dismantle smuggling and counterfeiting rings, quash illegal commerce, and protect the welfare of Filipinos.
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