PNP Chief Directs Intensified Campaign Against Smuggled Cigarettes Nationwide
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has issued a stern directive for an intensified crackdown on strategic transit and storage hubs utilized for the illegal tobacco trade. This order, announced on Sunday, February 8, 2026, comes as a response to the recurring smuggling activities that plague several regions across the country.
Recent Operations Yield Massive Seizures
The police chief's directive follows a series of successful operations that resulted in the confiscation of smuggled cigarettes valued at over PHP100 million in separate incidents in Bulacan and Davao del Sur. These recent hauls underscore the significant scale of the illicit trade and the involvement of organized financiers behind these operations.
In a statement, Nartatez emphasized the critical need to counter every aggressive move by cigarette smugglers, highlighting that this illegal activity involves billions of pesos in potential tax revenue losses for the government. "We have to sustain our efforts to locate the smuggled items, dismantle all their networks and identify and hold responsible all those involved," he declared.
Targeting Financiers and Masterminds
Nartatez made it clear that the PNP's campaign will not only target the runners and warehouse operators but will also pursue the financiers and masterminds orchestrating these illegal activities. "No amount of money, influence, or connections can protect smugglers and their financiers," he asserted, signaling a no-nonsense approach to eradicating the trade.
This intensified effort builds on previous enforcement actions, including the inspection of a raided illegal cigarette factory in Mexico, Pampanga, where authorities recovered tobacco products worth approximately PHP400 million.
Widespread Seizures Across Key Regions
Since December of the previous year, law enforcement agencies have seized around PHP10 billion worth of undocumented cigarettes, paraphernalia, and machinery from various warehouses and illegal manufacturing plants. Major operations have been conducted in areas such as:
- Malabon City
- Batangas province
- Pampanga province
These regions have been identified as hotspots for the illegal tobacco trade, with smuggling activities particularly prevalent in parts of Central Luzon and Mindanao. The PNP's renewed focus aims to disrupt these networks and curb the financial losses incurred by the government.
The crackdown also follows a specific incident on December 9, 2024, where police confiscated PHP2.3 million worth of smuggled cigarettes from two minivans at a checkpoint in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat. This operation serves as a precursor to the broader campaign now being implemented across the nation.
