Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno led an inspection on Friday, 13 March, of a shipment containing P235 million worth of smuggled cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates that was intercepted at the Port of Batangas.

The Bureau of Customs said the seizure forms part of its intensified campaign against illicit tobacco trade.

From 1 January to 6 March, the BOC recorded 127 successful interdictions involving cigarette smuggling, resulting in the confiscation of about P2 billion worth of illicit cigarettes nationwide.

The Bureau said strengthened intelligence gathering led to the discovery of 637 master cases of cigarettes during the operation.

Authorities found that the shipment, labeled MAC Super Slim Ice Cool Blast Cigarettes, lacked the required Graphic Health Warnings, violating Republic Act No. 10643, and did not bear the required Bureau of Internal Revenue internal revenue stamps, in violation of the National Internal Revenue Code.

Following the examination, the BOC issued a warrant of seizure and detention for violations of Sections 117 and 1113 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

The BOC said it continues to strengthen coordination with other law enforcement agencies to pursue a whole-of-government approach in combating illicit tobacco trade, which authorities say poses risks to public health and undermines fair market competition.

Nepomuceno stressed that the bureau’s intelligence-driven enforcement campaign will continue.

He warned that those who attempt to exploit the country’s borders for illegal trade will face the full force of the law.