Authorities seized P5.6 million worth of illegal tobacco products and arrested a 43-year-old businessman during an interdiction operation in Cebu province. The suspect, identified by the alias “Pauti,” was intercepted in Carcar City while driving a Nissan Terrano.

A multi-agency team discovered 70 small boxes and 21 large boxes of tobacco inside the vehicle. Authorities said the cargo lacked the required permits and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) certifications for transport or sale.

Acting Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. praised the seizure as a result of “intelligence-driven, disciplined policing.”

“This is the kind of accomplishment that shows we are serious in protecting communities and government revenues,” Nartatez said. “This is not just a fight against illegal trade, but also against the violation of the law and the rights of citizens.”

The operation involved the BIR and various units, including the Regional Special Project Unit 7 and the Cebu Provincial Police Office. Nartatez attributed the success to the force’s “Enhanced Managing Police Operations” agenda.

The arrest comes amid an intensified nationwide crackdown on the illicit cigarette trade. The PNP emphasized that large-scale smuggling is now a non-bailable offense punishable by life imprisonment.

Police Brig. Gen. Hansel Matamis Marantan, director of the PNP Highway Patrol Group, said the underground trade has evolved beyond simple smuggling at borders.

“Our operations have uncovered local manufacturing sites — factories right here in the country — producing these illicit cigarettes,” Marantan said, describing the trade as a “sophisticated, multi-layered criminal enterprise.”

The Philippine government estimates annual tax revenue losses of between P90 billion and P100 billion due to illicit tobacco. In January alone, police operations across the country have netted more than P3 billion worth of illegal cigarettes.