Fifty-four container vans carrying an estimated ₱3.2 billion worth of smuggled cigarettes were seized in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, in what authorities describe as the largest haul of smuggled imported cigarettes recorded in the Philippines.
The Bureau of Customs and the 1st Agusan del Norte Mobile Force Company seized the shipment on May 8, 2026, in Barangay Talisay. The containers were kept at Gothong Private Wharf, where top Customs and police officials inspected the haul on September 24.
“This is, so far, the biggest haul of smuggled imported cigarettes,” CIIS Northern Mindanao and Caraga Field Station chief Redford Surposa said.
Authorities spent several months inventorying and verifying the seized goods as they prepared possible charges. Surposa said the investigation remains ongoing and some details cannot yet be disclosed. He added that the names of the supposed recipients of the containers appear to be fictitious.
The scale of the shipment has left investigators working to identify those responsible. Customs has yet to complete the legal and administrative proceedings required before the contraband can be condemned and destroyed.
Deputy Commissioner Emmanuel Luis Licup said further inventory, examination and verification are being conducted to determine the shipment’s exact quantity and valuation, establish possible violations and identify those involved.
Licup said illicit tobacco deprives the government of revenue, hurts legitimate businesses and exposes consumers to unregulated products.
“Our presence here today underscores the bureau’s continued focus on enforcement operations and ensuring that all procedures are strictly observed,” Licup said.
The 54 containers remain secured pending final disposition while the BOC and Police Regional Office 13 continue the investigation. The reports did not specify a destruction date. Licup said the goods must remain secure, properly documented and fully accounted for through their final disposition.
