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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider P70 M worth of smuggled cigarettes seized in Lanao del Sur raid, 21 arrested

P70 M worth of smuggled cigarettes seized in Lanao del Sur raid, 21 arrested

Published Jun 16, 2026 11:30 am

At A Glance

  • Five of those arrested werwe turned over to the DSWD as they turned out to be minors.
  • The 1,800 reams of cogarettes were believed to have been smuggled through the southern backdoor.
More than P70 million worth of cigarettes, believed to have been smuggled into the country through the southern backdoor, were confiscated following raids on three makeshift warehouses in a coastal area in Picong, Lanado Del Sur.
Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the operation also resulted in the arrest of 21 people, five of them were minors, while four others are now being hunted down.
Nartatez said the five arrested minors, who were tapped to sort out and repackaged the smuggled items, were immediately turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) after the June 14 operation in Barangay Liyangan in Picong town.
Seized during the operation were 1,800 master cases of Berlin, Cannon, Fort, Greenhill, Bosque, and Modern brand cigarettes believed to be smuggled into the country. Also seized in one of the warehouses was an M14 rifle.
“We continue to be relentless in this campaign to send a strong message that this illegal activity has no place in any part of the country. Our coordination and support system are also getting stronger both against smuggling and illegal production of cigarettes,” said Nartatez.
The Philippine Army provided assistance in the conduct of raid that stemmed from confirmed intelligence reports about storage areas of smuggled products.
Nartatez said follow-up operations are now being conducted against at least four people whose names were mentioned during the course of the initial investigation.
“We are now preparing criminal charges against those arrested and all those who are involved in this illegal activity, including the owners of these makeshift storage areas,” said Nartatez, who lauded the operating teams led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
Billions of peso worth of smuggled and illegally produced cigarettes, as well as manufacturing equipment, were seized since Nartatez assumed the top PNP post.
Nartatez vowed to sustain the gains and ordered his men to further intensify the coordination with the communities, adding that local residents became instrumental in the discovery of most of the successful anti-cigarette smuggling.

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