BIR Confiscates P100 Million Worth Of Fake Cigarettes In Iligan City

BIR Confiscates P100 Million Worth Of Fake Cigarettes In Raid In Iligan City

BIR – The Bureau of Internal Revenu (BIR) confiscated P100 million worth of fake cigarettes during a raid in Iligan City.

Tobacco smoking is very harmful to a person’s health even to non-smokers. Smokers could obtain heart diseases, stroke, and lung cancer.

Therefore, the Philippine government made an action against the Filipino’s undesirable vice.

Cigarette
Photo Source: MindaNation

In a previous article, the government created a nationwide non-smoking law to stop the Pinoy from smoking.

The Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Eric Domingo appealed to increase the tobacco price. In that way, Filipinos will somehow decide to quit smoking because it’s expensive.

Domingo’s strategy would not only help the Health department’s advocacy, but it will also add more funds to the government.

Based on a report from GMA News, the BIR and Iligan City police confiscated more than P100 million worth of “fake cigarettes.”

The raid of the two houses was initiated on Thursday, May 9 in Isabel Village in Barangay Palao.

BIR
Photo Source: Bilyonaryo

The BIR Region 10 Office, Intellectual Property Rights officials, and city’s police officers raided the two houses rented by a Chinese businessman.

According to the report, a middle-aged Pinay and a Chinese man named Wang Jian Min met the authorities during the raid.

Wang Jian Min introduced himself as the cousin of the Chinese businessman who rented the house while the Pinay said she cook for the Chinese.

Cigarettes 1
Photo Source: The Daily Guardian

Chief Revenue Officer of the Regional Investigation Division of BIR-10, Alberto Daba, stated that the Chinese businessman served the house as a warehouse for the fake cigarettes.

“It is fake because on the part of the BIR, the stamps are fake. Under the provisions of the national internal revenue code particularly section 265 of the Tax Code of 1997, it unlawfully possessed spurious internal revenue stamps and as penalized under the law,” said Daba.

Fake cigarettes
Photo Source: Panay News

The authorities seized 100 master cases of Two Moon cigarettes with an estimated value of P25 million.

While the officers were doing their inventory, the owner of the house arrived and advised them to also check the other house.

“Two houses are being rented by only one person, a Chinese businessman, I only knew his business is spare parts, I did not know he is also into selling fake cigarettes,” said the owner.

BIR Fake cigarettes 1
Photo Source: conceptnewscentral.com

Based on the report, the authorities found 387 master cases of different cigarette brands. The seized cigarette on the second house has an estimated market value of P75 million.

Alberto Daba said the government lost P84 million excise tax because of the confiscated fake cigarettes.

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