Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation in Cabanatuan City nabbed a vendor of fake cigarettes in Talavera, Nueva Ecija province, as the government stepped up its crackdown on contraband cigarettes.
Vendor Fortunato S. Gatmaitan of Peryas, Barangay La Torre, Talavera, Nueva Ecija, was arrested after he was allegedly caught in possession of fake Mighty and Marvels cigarettes.
Armed with a search warrant issued by Cabanatuan City RTC Branch 24 Executive Judge Ana Marie C. Joson-Viterbo, NBI agents raided a warehouse in Peryas, Talavera, purportedly owned by a certain Steven Go, who is still to be located.
The raid yielded 692 reams of counterfeit Mighty and Marvels cigarettes. A representative from Mighty Corp. confirmed that the seized items were fake.
The NBI acted on the complaint filed by Malolos, Bulacan-based cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp. on the rampant sale and distribution of fake Mighty products.
The incident was the latest in the government crackdown on the manufacture and distribution of fake cigarettes, as well as the sale of smuggled tobacco products, across the country.
Aside from Mighty and Marvels brands, authorities have also noted the proliferation of other smuggled and fake cigarette brands identified as Marlboro, Winston, Far Star, Fort, American Legend, Union, Navy and Gudang Garam.
The smuggled brands were believed to be manufactured in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Cambodia.
Authorities have already renewed their warning against the manufacture, sale and distribution of fake cigarettes and vowed to round up retailers, distributors and importers of smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes.