CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — A strike team of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) backed by local police on Wednesday swooped down on two warehouses at the San Simon Industrial Park which were allegedly manufacturing counterfeit cigarettes and cigarette filters.
The raid came on the heels of government’s intensified campaign against the proliferation of locally-made counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes, whose proceeds could be financing other unlawful activities, authorities said.
One warehouse was found with counterfeit cigarettes stamped with popular brands such as Marlboro, Mighty, Fortune and Camel, among others.
The counterfeit cigarettes likewise bore fake tax stamps, the raiding team noted. The warehouse also housed dozens of sacks and boxes of unprocessed tobacco.
The second warehouse yielded filter rods, a cigarette-making component, the raw material of which is regulated by the BIR and National Tobacco Administration (NTA). The warehouse also yielded other raw materials used in making cigarettes, which were described as being “millions of pesos” in worth.
The raiding team, which was led by revenue officer Remedios “Sonny” Advincula, was recently formed to take point in all BIR enforcement activities on smuggled items and locally manufactured counterfeit excisable products.
They were supported by the PNP Criminal Investigation Detection Group of Region 3 based in Camp Olivas here.
“In this case, the factory and its operations are unregistered, hence the materials are “contraband,” Advincula said.
The warehouses are currently padlocked as appropriate charges are being prepared against their owners and while inventory of all the materials is ongoing. (PNA)
