MANILA, Philippines – Philippine National Police (PNP) acting chief Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has ordered a deeper probe into large-scale cigarette smuggling, saying authorities must go beyond seizures and arrests to identify the financiers behind the illegal trade.
In a statement on Sunday, Nartatez said the PNP has been effective in intercepting smuggled cigarettes flagged by intelligence units, but stressed the need to dismantle the networks funding the operations.
“While arrests were made, we want to dig deeper to identify the financiers and hold them accountable for their illegal activities,” Nartatez said.
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The directive followed a series of high-value seizures in recent weeks. On Friday, joint teams from the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG)-Metro Manila intercepted PHP516 million worth of illegal cigarettes.
Earlier, on December 31, 2025, the PNP-HPG discovered PHP1.1 billion worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes during an anti-car theft operation in Batangas City. On the same day, another HPG unit seized an estimated PHP1.5 billion worth of alleged smuggled cigarettes at a dockyard in Malabon City.
Nartatez said the intensified campaign is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to purge corruption in government and step up the national crackdown on illicit trade, which continues to drain the economy of vital tax revenues.
The crackdown comes amid growing scrutiny from lawmakers. Senate Finance Committee chair Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into reports that high-ranking security officials are allegedly financing the illegal cigarette trade.
Nartatez said the PNP will fully cooperate with the Senate and other concerned agencies in efforts to curb smuggling and hold those involved accountable.
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