TobaccoReporter logo

Tag: Customs

  • Philippines Customs Seizes $1.5M in Illicit Cigarettes  

    Philippines Customs Seizes $1.5M in Illicit Cigarettes  

    Authorities in Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines, seized six truckloads with 717 boxes of assorted branded cigarettes in a warehouse last week, worth P83.7 million ($1.5 million). Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing and Japan Tobacco International both cited the Bureau of Customs’ “dedication and effectiveness” as well as the leadership of Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio. 

    Owners of the warehouse will be charged for violating the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law if they fail to present documents within 15 days, Rubio said. Charges could also be filed against the owners of the smuggled dried tobacco products for violating the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act. 

  • Swiss Airports See All-Time High in Cigarette Smuggling 

    Swiss Airports See All-Time High in Cigarette Smuggling 

    Cigarette smuggling at Swiss airports increased by nearly 28% in 2024, with the majority of the illicit products coming from Turkey, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Republic of Congo, with most apparently intended to be sold in France. Customs officials discovered 880,000 undeclared cigarettes last year, up from 690,000 in 2023.

    More than 700,000 undeclared cigarettes were seized at Geneva Airport. All foreign couriers stopped while traveling were fined, and those found to be commercial smugglers were banned from entry. Unpaid fines were converted to days in prison for smugglers.

    As examples, customs officials pointed to one day when a 35-year-old Egyptian man was caught with 44,840 cigarettes (220 cartons), and later that day a 25-year-old Greek man had 47,360 cigarettes (235 cartons) in his luggage.