Manila: Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Sunday ordered an intensified crackdown on strategic transit and storage hubs used for illegal tobacco trade.

According to Philippines News Agency, smuggling activities recur in several areas, particularly in parts of Central Luzon and in Mindanao. Nartatez emphasized the significance of countering the aggressive moves by cigarette smugglers as the illegal activity involves billions of pesos in potential government tax revenue. He stressed the importance of sustaining efforts to locate smuggled items, dismantling networks, and holding those involved accountable.

The directive followed a series of recent operations resulting in the seizure of more than PHP100 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in separate operations in Bulacan and Davao del Sur. Nartatez pointed out that the haul highlights the scale of the illegal trade and underscores the involvement of organized financiers.

Nartatez declared that no amount of money, influence, or connections would protect smugglers and their financiers. He asserted the PNP's commitment to pursuing not only the runners and warehouse operators but also the financiers and masterminds behind these illegal activities.

Earlier, the PNP inspected a raided illegal cigarette factory in Mexico, Pampanga, recovering PHP400 million worth of tobacco products. Since December last year, approximately PHP10 billion worth of undocumented cigarettes, paraphernalia, and machinery have been seized in various warehouses and illegal manufacturing plants in Malabon and the provinces of Batangas and Pampanga.