THE Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) seized more than P100 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in separate operations Thursday, Feb. 19, across the city, arresting two suspects and uncovering what authorities said was a growing flow of untaxed products from Zamboanga City.
Police first raided a warehouse inside the public market in Barangay Inayawan at 1 p.m., recovering hundreds of cartons of various brands. They later confiscated hundreds more cartons from a store at the Carbon Public Market in coordination with the Bureau of Internal Revenue Region 13. Inventory at the Carbon operation was ongoing as of press time.
CCPO chief Col. George Ylanan said officers acted on intelligence reports that some stores and wholesalers were distributing counterfeit and untaxed cigarettes. A test buy confirmed the information, he said. The operations were conducted under the directives of Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. and Police Regional Office 7 Director Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan.
Unpaid products
BIR representatives scanned the seized products to verify payment of excise taxes and immediately confiscated those found to have no record of payment.
Ylanan said most cartons were still wrapped in plastic, indicating they had recently arrived in Cebu City.
“These passed through courier services. If you look at the packaging, they were misdeclared. Some were declared as tea, others as wall décor, so they did not arrive here in bulk,” Ylanan said.
Bernardino Paul Somera Jr., chief revenue officer of the Regional Investigation Division of BIR Revenue Region 13 in Cebu City, said the cigarettes originated from Zamboanga City and most violations involved nonpayment of excise taxes. The BIR estimated excise taxes due on the seized cigarettes could reach P100 million, excluding total market value.
Somera said government losses from smuggled cigarettes reached P300 million in 2025 and warned that the figure could rise following the latest seizures.
“Many smuggled cigarettes are entering Cebu. We are trying to tighten our grip on their modus and also show the public and retailers that they should not support any contraband,” he said.
Authorities said charges for violations of Republic Act 8424, or the National Internal Revenue Code, and Republic Act 10643 will be filed against the arrested suspects, who remain under investigation. / AYB