VALENTIN Dinca, JTI regional director for Anti-Illicit Trade Operations, speaks to visiting Filipino journalists about the need for stronger ASEAN cooperation to combat cross-border tobacco smuggling.
Photograph by Maria Romero for DAILY TRIBUNE
Three decades after the Marcopper mining disaster devastated Marinduque’s waterways, the province is again pressing the…
Housing is probably the biggest issue affecting people the world over.
Malacañang on Monday called for a more thorough investigation into the questioned flood control projects in Taguig…
The defense on Monday backed the move by senator-judges to exclude a prosecution witness who testified on the firearms…
KUALA LUMPUR — Japan Tobacco International (JTI) is urging Southeast Asian governments to tighten cross-border cooperation against tobacco smuggling, warning that fragmented enforcement is allowing illicit traders to exploit regulatory gaps and increasingly target the Philippines.
JTI is pushing for harmonized export controls across ASEAN and a dedicated regional law enforcement body to coordinate customs operations, intelligence sharing and cargo verification.
Next victory against organized criminality
“Illegal tobacco trade is not just a matter that requires acting within one jurisdiction, simply because it is cross-border by nature. The next victory against organized criminality will come from connecting this type of action across the entire Southeast Asia region,” JTI regional director for Anti-Illicit Trade Operations Valentin Dinca told visiting Filipino journalists.
“The Philippines is highly vulnerable. The Philippines is a primary destination market, which makes a strong case for the Philippines to advocate for a broader regional perspective,” he said.
Industry data showed illicit trade incidence in the Philippines rose to 26.4 percent in early 2026 from 23.8 percent in 2024, with Mindanao emerging as the epicenter.
Dinca cited the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessment 2026, which showed Indonesia declared more than 38,000 tons of tobacco exports bound for the Philippines in 2024, equivalent to roughly 38 billion cigarette sticks.
Philippine import records, however, reflected only about 366 tons — a gap of roughly 99 percent that Dinca said points to possible export diversion.
Maritime routes from Malaysia and Indonesia feed into southern Philippine entry points before illicit products move into domestic distribution channels.
“Mindanao serves as a critical convergence point where regional maritime routes meet domestic distribution channels,” Dinca said.
