Gapan City, Nueva Ecija—Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña has warned syndicates behind the manufacturing of fake cigarettes after inspecting an illegal cigarette factory in Nueva Ecija.
“This should be a strong warning to those who are doing this. Eventually, we will be able to trace you,” Lapeña said.
Lapeña was accompanied by Mayor Emerson Pascual in the inspection of the P200-million worth of fake cigars and manufacturing machines in Barangay Pambuan Monday afternoon.
“This kind of illegal operation cannot be kept hidden at all times,” Lapeña said.
On Aug. 17, Customs police arrested 17 Chinese nationals, including a woman, who were caught making fake cigarettes inside the said warehouse.
Also seized from the suspects were fake cigarettes of assorted brands, six cigarette-making machines, raw materials and counterfeit Bureau of Internal revenue stamps.
“The warehouse was subjected to three weeks of surveillance by our police following a tip from a reliable source that counterfeit cigarettes are being manufactured inside the warehouse,” Lapeña said.
Lapeña said follow-up investigation is being made to identify the origin of the raw materials as well as the machines.
He said the bureau is looking at the possibility that the Chinese nationals may be part of a bigger syndicate.
