P100.57 million smuggled cigarettes seized in Bataan

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January 11, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Suspected smuggled cigarettes valued at P100.57 million were seized in Dinalupihan, Bataan yesterday morning.

The contraband was found in a compound in Barangay Santa Isabel, which police and members of the Bureau of Customs and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) searched at past 9 a.m.

Acting Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said 12 vehicles loaded with 1,030 master cases of illegal tobacco products were found in the compound.

Nartatez said the PNP is working closely with other law enforcement agencies to protect government revenues and prevent smuggled goods from reaching the market.

Meanwhile, in Agusan del Norte, two members of the PCG were arrested for allegedly transporting illegal cigarettes valued at P97,000 in Buenavista town.

The contraband was loaded in a pick-up truck that police pulled over at a checkpoint in Barangay Mana, which resulted in the discovery of 325 reams of smuggled cigarettes.