The Bureau of Customs (BOC) - Port of Zamboanga destroyed over half a billion pesos worth of smuggled cigarettes at a warehouse in Zamboanga City on June 13. The BOC Port of Zamboanga is ramping up its anti-smuggling efforts in Region 9 and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, resulting...
A tobacco company said that ratifying the anti-agricultural economic sabotage bill will minimize the losses from the government’s revenues and farmers. Japan Tobacco International (JTI) said that the increasing illicit cigarette trade in the Philippines poses a significant threat to the...
Some P6 billion in excise taxes from the tobacco industry have been lost so far this year due to illicit trade and shift to electric cigarettes, an official from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said. Venus Gaticales, BIR chief of excise large taxpayers field operations division, told reporters...
In response to President Marcos' directive to crack down on tobacco smuggling, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) successfully intercepted an attempted smuggling operation that originated from Singapore. In a statement, Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio, said the shipment of illicit cigarettes...
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) launched a large-scale operation against illegal cigarettes, resulting in the confiscation of over P5.4 billion worth of illicit tobacco from warehouses in Indang and Dasmariñas, Cavite. In a statement on Monday, April 8, BIR said the raid last March 21 led to...
Electronic cigarettes or vape worth P151.1 million in taxes were seized by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in three warehouses in Manila City and Rizal province. In a statement, BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. reported that a total of 63,139 units of illegal vape products that have...
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has seized illicit cigarettes in Davao region as part of its intensified efforts to apprehend unscrupulous traders and smugglers. BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. said the bureau has successfully seized 717 master cases, equivalent to 358,500 packs, of...
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said the agency has seized a wooden boat loaded with smuggled imported cigarettes in Maasin, Zamboanga City's waters. Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio said a joint operation between the Port of Zamboanga and the Philippine National Police resulted in the...
Over P57 million worth of illicit cigarettes were seized in separate operations in Batangas, South Cotabato, and General Santos City, according to the reports of government agencies. In Batangas, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), along with the units of the Philippine National Police, conducted...
Some P160.3 million worth of smuggled cigarettes were seized in Tawi-Tawi, the Bureau of Customs reported Thursday, Aug. 31. The Customs bureau said that the Philippine Navy, along with elements from PC390, intercepted on Wednesday, Aug. 23, a motorboat loaded with 2,798 master cases of “Oakley...
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has raided perpetrators of illicit cigarette trade across the country, placing all regional enforcers on alert while their operations were ongoing on 378 stores in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. led a raid on Wednesday, Jan. 25,...
At least half of all cigarettes sold in Mindanao were smuggled, depriving the government of much needed revenues to fund basic services, the anti-smuggling advocacy group FIGHT Illicit Trade Movement (FIGHT IT) said. Jesus Arranza, FIGHT IT chairman said cigarette smuggling in Mindanao has...
