ZAMBOANGA CITY – A vessel of Cambodian registry manned by crew members from Myanmar was held last Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Sultan Kudarat by the Naval Command Western Mindanao for allegedly transporting more than 3,000 master cases of smuggled cigarettes. In an exclusive interview, Lt. Commander...
The Philippine National Police (PNP) revealed on Wednesday, Feb. 11, that it has begun case buildup against the financier behind a P47.5 million illegal cigarette operation discovered in Tarlac. Police General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr., PNP chief, lauded the Criminal Investigation and Detection...
Authorities are intensifying their crackdown on tobacco smuggling as prosecutors move forward with multiple cases under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law (RA 12022), signaling a tougher national stance against illicit cigarette operations that officials say are costing the government...
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has focused its investigation into the illegal cigarette factory uncovered in Mexico, Pampanga toward alleged high-profile financiers, including two Northern Luzon politicians tagged as possible masterminds. Police General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., chief...
TACLOBAN CITY – The Police Regional Office-8 monitored no high-ranking government official involved in cigarette smuggling in Eastern Visayas. But Police Col. Hector Enage, chief of the PRO-8 Regional Operations Division, confirmed that the region has been a transshipment point for smuggled...
BUTUAN CITY – Police intercepted a truck loaded with smuggled cigarettes worth P8 million in Sultan Naga Dimaporo town, Lanao del Norte province on Thursday, Nov. 6. The 29-year-old driver failed to present a Certificate of Registration and was issued a Temporary Operator’s Permit (TOP). The...
ZAMBOANGA CITY – A motorboat loaded with smuggled cigarettes valued at P1.5 million capsized after it was intercepted by Philippine Navy personnel in the sea between Zamboanga City and Basilan province on Sunday. The Armed Forces Western Mindanao Naval Command detected and pursued a suspicious...
BACOLOD CITY – A 42-year-old truck driver and his helper were arrested and smuggled cigarettes worth P11.1 million were seized in Barangay Talaban, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental on Saturday, Oct. 4. The suspects were residents of Zamboanga City and Jolo, Sulu. Police sighted two individuals...
ZAMBOANGA CITY - Troops seized smuggled cigarettes valued at P23 million in the sea of Sulu province on Monday, Sept. 29. The contraband was composed of 400 master cases of assorted foreign cigarettes. Authorities held the vessel used in transporting the items and five crew members. The cargo was...
BUTUAN CITY – Police seized smuggled cigarettes valued at P9.2 million in Laguindingan town, Misamis Oriental province following a tip from an informant on Wednesday night, Sept. 10. “After our ground force received the positive information, they immediately swooped down in a reported area and...
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities arrested two people, including a police officer, and seized smuggled cigarettes valued at P16.1 million in an intelligence-driven operation here on Thursday. Police Col. Fidel Fortaleza Jr., Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) chief, withheld the identities of the...
In a series of high-profile enforcement actions spanning nearly two months, law enforcement authorities across Luzon confiscated close to 700,000 sticks of illicit cigarettes, reinforcing the government’s campaign against counterfeit and illicit cigarettes under “Oplan Megashopper.” The...
