Philippines: Nationwide Destruction Of 450,000 Illegal Electronic Cigarettes

According to a report from Philippine social media: The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines seized a total value of 250,000 pesos worth of smuggled and unregistered products at two stores in Manila.
The Philippine Taxation Bureau (BIR) launched a nationwide synchronized law enforcement operation on December 15th, concentrating on destroying 448,494 illegal electronic cigarette products, involving unpaid consumption taxes and fines totaling approximately 1.34 billion pesos. This was part of a three-day nationwide operation aimed at cracking down on illegal electronic cigarette trade, maintaining tax order, and protecting public health.
The BIR stated that this round of operation cumulatively seized 742,778 illegal electronic cigarettes, with a total tax amount of approximately 2.73 billion pesos. The involved products mainly had violations such as unpaid consumption taxes, failure to affix tax labels, and unregistered brands. Some of the products came from supply channels outside Manila, and there were also centralized destruction and criminal filings in Visayas regions (including Cebu).
The BIR emphasized that it will continue to intensify law enforcement efforts, completely eliminate unmarked electronic cigarettes, prevent illegal products from returning to the market, maintain fair competition for legitimate enterprises, and ensure the tax source for public health projects. A total of 800 products of electronic cigarettes and e-liquids.