ANOTHER intelligence-driven anti-smuggling operation targeting illicit cigarettes in the province of Pampanga increased the value of confiscated tobacco and cigarette-related materials to more than ₱582 million.
In a statement, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said another raid at a warehouse in the town of Apalit last March 5 resulted to the discovery and seizure of an estimated ₱382 million worth of illicit cigarette-related materials.
The raid at the warehouse located in Barangay Balucuc, was carried out by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) and the Port of Limay, with the support from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the various units from Philippine National Police.
Inside the warehouse, authorities discovered fake BIR tax stamps with identical serial numbers, large volumes of tobacco cigarette packaging materials, and cigarette tipping paper rolls bearing brands such as Chesterfield, Camel, Mighty, Fortune, Carnival, Fort, Commando, Thunder, H&P, King, and Cannon Menthol, among others.
It can be recalled that from February 13 to the following day, the BOC also conducted raids in two separate clandestine cigarette manufacturing facilities in the towns of Mexico and San Simon were more than ₱200 million worth of tobacco products and machines for the manufacture of cigarettes were also seized (see related article here).
Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno noted that in the first two months of 2026 alone, they conducted 110 successful law enforcement operations targeting the smuggling and illegal manufacturing of cigarettes.
He placed the value of seized contrabands from these operations at more than ₱1.948 billion.
For the same period last year, under Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, the BOC recorded only 21 seizures valued at ₱75.517 million.
District Collector Blesilda N. Balagtas of the BOC–Port of Limay reaffirmed the port’s commitment to supporting the bureau’s nationwide crackdown on illicit tobacco.
She emphasized that the Port of Limay will continue to strengthen monitoring and enforcement operations against illegal cigarette activities within its area of jurisdiction.