FAKE CIGARETTE FACTORY. Authorities led by the National Bureau Investigation, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue and policemen seize millions of pesos worth of counterfeit cigarettes in series of raids from May 22 to 23 in three areas in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur. The team also recover eight boxes of counterfeit documentary stamps worth PHP64 million. NBI Regional Director Moises Tamayo says Tuesday (May 26, 2020) that investigation is underway to determine the owners/operators of the illegal cigarette factories. (PNA photo by Leah D. Agonoy)
PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – Government authorities said they are conducting an in-depth investigation to determine the owners of the illegal cigarette factories operating in three villages of this city.
The cigarette factories were uncovered in series of raids the authorities conducted from May 22 to 23 in Barangays Balintawak, Kawit and San Jose here, National Bureau of Investigation-Region 9 Director Moises Tamayo told the Philippine News Agency Tuesday.
No one was arrested in the series of raids jointly conducted by the NBI, Bureau of Customs (BOC), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and policemen.
“We are in the process of backtracking and documentary tracing to identify the owner or owners of the cigarette factories,” Tamayo said.
The raiding team seized piles of boxes of cigarettes — both smuggled and counterfeit — as well as eight boxes of counterfeit documentary stamps, which Tamayo said are worth PHP64 million.
“This is tantamount to economic sabotage,” Tamayo said, noting that each of the eight boxes contains PHP8 million worth of counterfeit documentary stamps.
Tamayo said the series of raids last week were connected to the confiscation of cigarette-making machines in factories of fake cigarettes they raided in March in the towns of Labangan and Dinas, this province.
BOC-Zamboanga District Collector Segundo Sigmundfreud Barte Jr. said Wednesday that the government is losing a huge amount of revenues brought about by the smuggling and manufacturing of counterfeit cigarettes. (PNA)
