MANILA — The illicit tobacco trade suffered a huge blow after authorities conducted a massive, synchronized crackdown across five regions that resulted in the seizure of over 11,000 contraband vapor products and the discovery of Php 33 million in unpaid taxes.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), together with police and trade officials, launched the lightning strikes on less than a week ago to dismantle a network of traders flooding the market with untaxed “ghost” vapes that evade government regulation and deprive the national treasury of vital revenue.
The coordinated enforcement reached deep into Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, and Laguna, targeting high-traffic retail hubs identified through months of intelligence gathering.
BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza, acting on directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to bridge revenue leaks, mobilized multiple revenue regions to conduct the simultaneous inspections.
In the southern tip of the capital, enforcement teams in Muntinlupa and Parañaque discovered five separate outlets—all traced back to a single proprietor—hawking 2,509 illicit units including nicotine salt pods and disposable vapes, accounting for over Php 8.1 million in tax liabilities.
The crackdown exposed a variety of tax evasion tactics, ranging from the complete absence of internal revenue stamps to the use of sophisticated counterfeits. In Valenzuela and Caloocan, operatives confiscated nearly 1,200 units with fake stamps, representing roughly Php 3 million in evaded excise taxes.
The largest haul occurred in Cavite and Batangas, where inspectors flagged nine out of 12 targeted establishments for trading unregistered goods, resulting in the seizure of 6,065 products valued at Php 18.2 million in lost taxes. Meanwhile, a focused sweep in San Pedro City, Laguna, netted another 1,544 suspicious units, adding Php 4.6 million to the total enforcement tally.
Commissioner Mendoza emphasized that these raids are part of a broader “Big Bold Reforms” strategy under Finance Secretary Frederick Go to sanitize the market and ensure a level playing field for law-abiding businesses. He warned that those caught in the illegal trade face not only the immediate seizure of their inventory but also severe administrative and criminal charges under the National Internal Revenue Code.
The BIR added that it plans to sustain this high-pressure campaign and likewise urged the public to report untaxed goods and reminded distributors that the government will continue to take decisive action against any business attempting to bypass the nation’s tax laws.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Photos from the Bureau of Internal Revenue)