As UNODC tags Mindanao as smuggling hub, PNP seizures hit ₱9B in 2026

MANILA, Philippines — A 2026 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) threat assessment has identified Mindanao as a key center for the smuggling, financing, and distribution of illicit cigarettes, underscoring how tobacco trafficking contributes to the Philippines’ broader organized crime landscape. The UNODC report, An Interconnected Criminal Ecosystem: Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessment