The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) announced on Wednesday the seizure of illegally imported and distributed vape products with an estimated value of P63,000,000 in its separate operations in Marilao, Bulacan, Parañaque City, and Pasay City.
In a press briefing, NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin said the seizure also resulted in the arrest of two Filipinos and three foreign nationals.
The NBI-Cybercrime Division (CCD) was assisted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in their operations.
In Bulacan, they were able to confiscate 85,200 pieces of salt-nicotine-based vapor products after obtaining contact information and social media accounts of the individuals involved in the illegal trade.
In Parañaque City, 25,000 pieces of unregistered vape products were seized and another 72,000 pieces in a storage facility.
In the successive operations, the NBI arrested Singaporean national Jonathan Kher Jun Xian, Thai national Natkrita Phakhinniphat, and Chinese national Jiang Xing.
For his part, NBI Director Jaime Santiago noted this demonstrates the effectiveness of the agency’s combined cyber patrol, intelligence gathering, and field interdiction strategies, as well as inter-agency coordination.
