PNP steps up crackdown on illegal cigarettes

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. announced on Sunday that all local units have been ordered to intensify operations against strategic transit and storage hubs used for the illegal tobacco trade.

In a statement, Nartatez stressed that the crackdown targets organized groups profiting from smuggling, not ordinary communities, in line with directives from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.

“Based on our intelligence, we’re seeing repeated smuggling in key transit and storage areas, especially in Central Luzon and parts of Mindanao,” Nartatez said. “We must counter every move by these cigarette smugglers. This illegal trade robs the government of billions in taxes. Our goal is to seize the smuggled items, dismantle the networks, and hold everyone involved accountable.”

The PNP’s directive follows a series of high-profile operations. On 6 February, joint operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) seized around P80 million worth of illegal cigarettes in an entrapment in Marilao, Bulacan, arresting two foreign nationals suspected of involvement in large-scale distribution. Later that day, authorities confiscated another P22 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in Barangay Dawis, Digos City, Davao del Sur.

“These hauls show just how massive this trade is and the role of the financiers behind it,” Nartatez said. “No amount of money, influence, or connections can protect smugglers. We will go after the runners, warehouse operators, and most importantly, the masterminds behind these illegal activities.”

Earlier, the PNP also raided an illegal cigarette factory in Mexico, Pampanga, recovering P400 million worth of tobacco products. Since December 2025, authorities have seized around P10 billion worth of undocumented cigarettes, paraphernalia, and machinery from warehouses and illicit factories in Batangas, Malabon and Pampanga.