PNP hunts illicit cigarette plants

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has stepped up intelligence operations nationwide to track down and dismantle illegal cigarette factories believed to be operating across several regions.

In a statement Friday, the PNP said it is conducting simultaneous intelligence validation following reports that at least 10 illegal cigarette factories are currently active in different parts of the country.

“We cannot allow these people to operate because our government is losing billions of pesos that are supposed to be used for social services,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said.

“We have intensified our intelligence-gathering to track down these illegal factories and arrest those behind their operation,” he added.

Nartatez ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and police regional offices to treat the maintenance of illegal cigarette factories as a high-impact economic crime, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s push to clamp down on activities that undermine legitimate industries, drain government revenues, and exploit workers.

He said the crackdown will not stop at arrests but will focus on building airtight cases to ensure convictions and dismantle entire criminal networks involved in the illicit trade.

“We will not stop in arresting them,” Nartatez said. “Our goal is always to build a strong case to ensure conviction.”

The intensified campaign follows the joint inspection by the PNP, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) of a recently raided illegal cigarette factory in Mexico, Pampanga on Thursday.

Speaking at a press briefing after the inspection, Remulla said police-led anti-smuggling operations play a crucial role in reinforcing the BOC’s efforts to block contraband from entering the country.

He noted that while the BOC has over 5,000 personnel, it has fewer than 1,000 agents, similar to the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

By comparison, the PNP has around 230,000 personnel, positioning it as the government’s lead agency for investigations and apprehensions related to smuggling and other economic crimes.