In 2024, the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) stepped up its crackdown on e-cigarette smuggling, seizing products worth a total of PHP5,07 billion between January and October.
This campaign aims to dismantle the illicit networks involved in the trafficking of these products, often imported illegally from China.
Among the notable operations, in February, the BOC discovered 1,5 million Flava brand e-cigarettes, worth an estimated P1,53 billion, in a warehouse in Parañaque.
In August, raids in Manila and Laguna resulted in the seizure of vapes and motorcycle parts worth a combined 94 million pesos.
In September, an operation in Binondo, Manila, led to the confiscation of counterfeit products, including vapes, worth 4,8 billion pesos.
BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting consumers from unregulated and potentially dangerous products, while ensuring that appropriate duties and taxes are collected. The BOC continues to work closely with other government agencies to strengthen enforcement of existing laws and regulations.
