In a series of high-profile enforcement actions spanning nearly two months, law enforcement authorities across Luzon confiscated close to 700,000 sticks of illicit cigarettes, reinforcing the government’s campaign against counterfeit and illicit cigarettes under “Oplan Megashopper.”
The operations, carried out by units of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) with support from the Philippine Tobacco Institute and other enforcement agencies, targeted various sellers, distributors, and repacking hubs across Quezon City, Tarlac, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, and Bataan.
Carnival cigarettes consistently surfaced in the raids, often in large volumes and alongside other counterfeit or smuggled brands.
The large-scale seizures in July and August represent one of the most concentrated crackdowns on illicit cigarettes in recent years, with authorities targeting Carnival as the most frequently confiscated brand.
The first major seizure occurred in Quezon City, where operatives arrested a 29-year-old online seller in early July. Authorities recovered 20,000 Carnival sticks in addition to counterfeit local brands.
Shortly after, two operations in Bamban, Tarlac led to the arrest of multiple suspects engaged in retail sales of illicit cigarettes. Investigators confiscated over 37,000 sticks of Carnival along with HP, Nice, and Playboy cigarettes.
Days later, CIDG personnel in Cavite apprehended three suspects found in possession of multiple brands of illegal cigarettes, including 50,000 Carnival sticks packaged as Black Menthol. The operation also uncovered a delivery vehicle, marked money, and other contraband.
The crackdown gained momentum the following month when a repeat offender was arrested in Laguna. Authorities found him selling assorted illicit products, with the haul dominated by Carnival.
The largest single seizure took place in San Simon, Pampanga, where operatives confiscated 520,000 sticks of Carnival Menthol cigarettes from two suspects. The raid also uncovered plastic sealing machines, tipping papers, packaging blanks, and empty master cases linked to large-scale repacking and distribution. Investigators described the find as evidence of a significant hub for counterfeit cigarette production.
In Orion, Bataan, law enforcers arrested a 42-year-old resident and recovered 10,000 Carnival sticks along with other brands such as RGD, Modern, and Power. Another enforcement action in Angeles City, Pampanga, targeted a store identified by reports as actively engaged in selling illicit tobacco. Authorities confiscated counterfeit products worth an estimated P340,000, including 20,200 Carnival sticks hidden among legal cigarette brands.
The most recent major raid in the ongoing campaign against illicit cigarette trade occurred in Dinalupihan, Bataan. A 30-year-old suspect was apprehended while selling various counterfeit and illicit cigarettes. Authorities seized two master cases of Carnival Menthol and two master cases of Carnival Red, totaling 20,000 sticks. Other confiscated products included Modern, RGD, Farstar, and Two Moon cigarettes.
The series of buy-bust operations exposed how illicit cigarette sellers operated through both small neighborhood stores and larger-scale networks. The combined results of these coordinated actions yielded nearly 722,000 illicit cigarettes seized.
The seized Carnival products either lacked graphic health warnings or did not have excise tax stamps affixed to their packaging.
In several cases, sellers were caught directly transacting with poseur buyers using marked money, while in others, warehouses and repacking facilities were uncovered with significant volumes of illicit stock. Vehicles, phones, and other equipment tied to the operations were also confiscated.
Criminal charges are being prepared against all arrested suspects, including violations of the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, the Graphic Health Warning Act, the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, the Philippine Consumer Act, and other related laws such as the Anti-Smuggling Act and statutes defining economic sabotage.
The suspects remain in custody while evidence undergoes documentation and processing for trial.
According to news reports, the recent surge in smuggled cigarettes in the Philippines may have factored in the decline of tobacco excise tax collections, from a high of P174 billion in 2021 to just P134 billion last year.
