Philippines Conducts Surprise Raid, Seizing 8.1 Million Pesos Of Illegal Electronic Cigarettes, And Five People Arrested

According to a report by gmanetwork news on July 7th: The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) jointly carried out an operation on July 3rd in the San Carlos area of Manila, conducting a trapping operation and seizing a total value of 8.16 million pesos worth of illegal electronic cigarette products. Five individuals involved were also arrested on the spot.
According to the report, this operation confiscated 25,653 unregistered electronic cigarette products. The NBI pointed out that one of the suspects was also suspected of using social media platforms to sell illegal electronic cigarettes, violating the "Regulation of Vaping Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products" law.
Multiple violations occurred simultaneously, involving cybercrime and infringement of consumer rights. The five suspects have been transferred to the Manila City Prosecutor's Office for preliminary interrogation and are facing the following multiple charges: violating the "Regulation of Vaping Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products" law, violating the "Cybercrime Prevention Law" (2012), and violating the "Philippine Consumer Law".
The authorities stated that they will continue to intensify the crackdown on illegal electronic cigarette sales activities to protect public health and consumer rights.