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HINDI bababa sa 18,000 illegal vape products at mga pekeng tax stamps ang kumpiskado sa Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) sa isinagawang pagsalakay sa dalawang vape lounge establishment sa Guiguinto, Bulacan kamakailan.
Sa pangunguna mismo ni BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr., katuwang ang mga operatiba ng National Bureau of Investigation – Organized and Transnational Crimes Division (NBI-OTCD), isinagawa ang naturang pagsalakay batay sa paunang surveillance, mission order at search warrant.
Ayon kay Lumagui, hangad ng kawanihan ipaabot ang mensahe sa mga nagbebenta ng illegal vape products — ang walang humpay na pagtugis at pagsasampa ng kaso, alinsunod sa umiiral na batas.
“Wherever you hide—online or onsite. The long arms of the law extend into the cyber realm—and we will find you,” babala ng BIR chief.
“We will pull out all the stops. Online or onsite, the BIR will do everything it can to stop illicit trade,” dugtong niya.
Sa dalawang sinalakay na establisyemento, lumalabas na kapwa “front” lang umano ang mga nasabing pasilidad sa underground vape distribution at isa ring makeshift warehouse sa bahagi ng residential house kung saan nasakote ang 4,789 salt nicotine units at 14,022 conventional vape products, na mayroong fake internal revenue excise stamps at counterfeit disposable vapes.
“To put the scale of the haul into perspective—kung conservative po tayo—assuming one disposable vape lasts an average user one week, this means that 18,811 seized units could supply over 4,700 underage users for a month, assuming each one vapes daily,” paliwanag ni Lumagui sa sinamsam na konrabando.
“So, close to 5,000 kids could be vaping for an entire month from the products we seized in just one operation. These aren’t just tax violations—they are threats to the health of our children. That’s why we’re going after illicit traders, whether they operate in public markets or hide behind Facebook accounts and residential homes.”
Nahaharap ang mga arestadong indibidwal sa patong-patong na kaso — kabilang ang paglabag sa National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), partikular sa Section 263 (Unlawful Possession of Articles Subject to Excise Tax Without Payment), Section 263-A (Sale of Vapor Products Below Combined Excise and VAT), Section 264 (Failure to Issue Required Receipts), Section 265 (Offenses Related to Counterfeit Stamps) Section 254 (Attempt to Evade or Defeat Tax) at Section 255 (Failure to Provide Accurate Tax Information).
Sinampahan na rin ng paglabag sa Article 172 ng Revised Penal Code (Falsification of Commercial Documents) ang mga suspek.
Sa pagtaya ng BIR, aabot sa P36.51 million deficiency tax assessment, kabilang na ang surcharges, interest, at penalties ang katumbas ng naging raid, na ang basic excise tax liability nito naman ay nasa ₱3.49 million.
