Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Thursday directed all chiefs of police to strengthen coordination with local government units (LGUs) to identify warehouses and properties suspected of being used for cigarette smuggling or illegal manufacturing.
The order follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to intensify the campaign against smuggling and other economic crimes.
Nartatez said actionable intelligence often comes from residents and barangay officials, leading to successful operations.
He cited two recent multimillion-peso busts—one in San Simon, Pampanga, based on information from a netizen, and another in Maguindanao del Norte that stemmed from a tip-off.
“Police and community relationships built on trust are essential to effective law enforcement and the efficient implementation of peace and order measures,” Nartatez said.
“At the end of the day, we share the common goal of making every street and community safe and secure for investment.”
He added that visible police efforts encourage public cooperation, noting that a netizen monitoring Facebook live streams of anti-tobacco operations provided information that led to the seizure of P70 million worth of illegal cigarettes from a warehouse.
The PNP has led multiple raids nationwide, confiscating billions of pesos worth of smuggled cigarettes, many from warehouses.
Nartatez also instructed police chiefs to coordinate with LGUs regarding their inspection authority over suspicious warehouses as part of the intensified crackdown.
He stressed that all police actions must strictly follow operational procedures to avoid legal issues and uphold the rule of law.
“We are on the right track in our campaign against cigarette smuggling, as shown by the billions of pesos worth of tobacco products we have confiscated. With the help of residents and officials down to the barangay level, we can do more,” he said.
