The BIR said in a report that in the first warehouse, its agents found million worth of tobacco raw materials as well as fi lter rods, a cigarette component whose raw material is regulated by the BIR and the National Tobacco Administration (NTA).
The report said the second warehouse yielded packets of fake cigarettes of various brands including Marlboro, Mighty, Fortune and Camel, all with fake stamps.
The warehouse also housed dozens of sacks and boxes of unprocessed tobacco. Both warehouses were unregistered with the government so that all materials found in them were classified as contraband, the BIR said.
The raiding team was led by revenue officer Remedios Advincula whose group was recently formed as the “lead and point” coordinator of all BIR enforcement activities on smuggled items and locally manufactured counterfeit excisable products.
The BIR team was supported by the PNP Criminal Investigation Detection Group of Region 3 based in Camp Olivas, City of San Fernando.
The warehouses were padlocked as appropriate charges are being prepared against the still unnamed owners of the warehouses.
