ZAMBOANGA CITY – Agents of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9) raided several warehouses in the region where they seized hundreds of cases of fake cigarettes and cigarette-making machines with a combined worth of over P1 billion.
Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero issued at least 10 Letters of Authority (LoA) to the local customs district office here that resulted in the confiscation of several boxes of fake cigarette products, fake stamp tax, and cigarette-making machines.
In a report sent to Guerrero, Zamboanga City Customs District Collector Segundo Barte said the composite team seized hundreds of master cases of smuggled cigarettes worth P15.995 million during a raid in Dipolog City. He informed Guerrero that the team also seized six cigarette-replicating machines worth of P600 million in Dinas and Labangan in Zamboanga del Sur.
The raid in Pagadian City also yielded raw imported tobacco materials worth P130,000, BIR documentary stamp, counterfeit cigarettes worth P18 million, and imported goods and articles worth P4 million, he added.
Barte explained that the 10 LoA have allowed the local BoC and NBI here to raid some warehouses in Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte reportedly being utilized by smugglers as safekeeping and manufacturing sites for illicit tobacco products in Region 9.
Barte said the raids were conducted together with members of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)-Zamboanga and policemen from the Police Regional Office (PRO-9).
According to Barte, the suspects violated Executive Order No. 245 entitled Amended Rules & Regulations Governing the Exportation and Importation of Tobacco and Tobacco Products and Section 117 of Republic Act 10863 (The Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 2016).
Barte emphasized the raid was aimed to curb the proliferation of fake cigarettes and the illegal importation of tobacco products. (Nonoy Lacson)