The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) recently seized more than 227,000 packs of cigarettes when it raided seven makeshift warehouses in Brooke's Point, Palawan.
According to BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr., tax evasion charges will be filed against those arrested during the raid for not paying P150 million in excise tax.
The BIR chief considered the operation in the island province significant as Palawan is one of the centers in the trade of the contraband.
"The BIR is continuous in its nationwide war against illicit vape and cigarette trade and we will pursue them," Lumagui said
He added all regional directors have been instructed to deploy available manpower in curbing the tax menace.
He warned that individuals and businesses caught in possession of illicit cigarettes and vape will face criminal prosecution in accordance with the provisions of the Tax Code.