CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Authorities seized some PHP1.3 billion worth of counterfeit cigarettes and raw materials in Mabalacat City, this province on Thursday.
Col. Arnold Ibay, provincial director of the Pampanga Police Provincial Office, said Friday the operation also resulted in the arrest of five individuals identified as Danny Martizano, a resident of St. Paul District Bisug, Surigao del Sur; Richie Aliminion of Barangay Malbug, Cawayan, Masbate; Sammy Molina of San Macario Norte, Natividad, Pangasinan; Ryan Tilanduca of Barangay Bangcud, Malaybalay, Bukidnon; and Efren Tacomto of Marcos Village, Mabalacat City.
The five have been associated with the Wendel Criminal Group engaged in the distribution of counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes in Central Luzon, Ibay said in a social media post.
He said the lawmen implemented a mission order at Warehouse No. SFB 9706 located inside a compound in Barangay Paralayunan that led to the discovery of smuggled fake cigarettes, including raw materials used and/or intended to be used for manufacturing cigarettes.
The operating team came from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Regional Investigation Division, Pampanga Police, and Mabalacat City Police, he said.
Confiscated were one Isuzu wing van truck loaded with several sacks of dried tobacco; one utility vehicle; 22 boxes and 26 reams of Yunyan cigarettes; 14 boxes of Shuangxi cigarettes; four boxes of Chunghua cigarettes; 13 boxes, 19 reams, and nine packs of Gold Line cigarettes; 72 reams of Nanjing cigarettes; eight reams of Jinsiye cigarettes; 19 reams and three packs of Black Pearl cigarettes; four boxes of Marlboro (red) and 35 reams Titanium cigarettes, all valued at PHP300 million.
Ibay said a follow-up operation was conducted at Block 22 Lot 9, Global Aseana Park 1, San Simon, this province also on Thursday, which led to the confiscation of 147,000 pieces of invalid BIR stamps (green); 1,470,000 pieces of invalid BIR stamps (light blue); 12 cigarette packer machines; two cigarette maker machines; 100 rolls of cigarette paper; 35 rolls of tipping paper; 46 rolls of cigarette foil; 48,000 pieces of cigarette filters; four boxes of cigarette papers; and various brands of cigarettes and raw materials amounting to about PHP1 billion.
Brig. Gen. Valeriano T. de Leon, director of the Police Regional Office 3 (Central Luzon), said the Philippine National Police, along with other government agencies, is intensifying its monitoring to prevent the entry and proliferation of contraband in the region.
Source: Philippines News Agency
