• March 29, 2024

Smuggled cigarette crackdown

 Smuggled cigarette crackdown

The brazen selling of smuggled cigarettes in many parts of Mindanao, the Philippines, has prompted customs, revenue and police authorities there to renew their drive against untaxed products, according to a story in The Manila Times.

Contraband cigarettes are said to be on sale openly in thousands of stores.

They are said to be available in sari-sari (variety) stores and public markets at around P18 to P20 a pack, whereas the cheapest taxed product sells for P25 a pack.

Cigarettes smuggled into the Philippines are liable to be confiscated and those found to be selling or even in possession of them face the possibility of large fines and even lengthy prison sentences.

Retailers are being reminded by the authorities to buy cigarettes only from legitimate sales people to ensure that the products carry the proper tax stamps.

According to the Times, late last year the authorities seized and destroyed ‘numerous caches’ of smuggled products and prosecuted individuals engaged in their sale in parts of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Nueva Ecija and Cebu.