BoC seizes P3.2B worth of Mighty cigarettes with fake tax stamps

SAN ILDEFONSO, Bulacan—The Bureau of Customs seized P3.2 billion worth of Mighty cigarettes allegedly bearing fake tax stamps in a Friday morning (March 24) raid at a warehouse in Matimbubong village.

Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon led the raid, the second after the March 1 inspection of four warehouses in San Simon, Pampanga that yielded P2-million worth of Mighty and Marvel cigarettes, both produced by Mighty Corp. based in the City of Malolos, also in Bulacan.

Customs officer Joenel Pogoy said 160,000 master cases of the cigarettes failed to pass their tax stamp verifier, indicating that their tax stamps were not authentic.

BACKSTORY: BIR: Mighty faked own tax stamps

The cigarette warehouse was padlocked and has been placed under the watch of customs officials pending a new tax evasion complaint that would be filed against Mighty.

On Wednesday (March 22), the Bureau of Internal Revenue lodged a P9 billion tax evasion complaint against Mighty for the fake-stamped cigarettes recovered in Pampanga and General Santos City.

READ: BIR files P9.5-B tax evasion case vs Mighty