BACOLOR -- Some 60 master cases of suspected counterfeit cigarettes were discovered inside an abandoned container van in Barangay San Isidro here.
Police reports said that the van was left since March 12 and was recovered last May 16 by police operatives.
The truck with plate number UBX 782 was later claimed allegedly by one Jeric Maninang of Barangay Alasas in San Fernando City.
The truck was not returned to the suspect pending investigation. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is currently looking at the contents of truck to ascertain if the stamps are also fake.
BIR Regional Director Jethro Sabariaga said that they will conduct their own investigation on the said merchandise if proven these have fake tax stamps.
Recently, police operatives and officials from the Pampanga Provincial Government led the shutdown of a suspected illegal cigarette factory in Lubao town.
Vice Governor Dennis Pineda then issued a public warning to foreigners involved in illicit activities to leave Pampanga as village folk show heightened vigilance in helping stop crimes in their areas.
Barangay Captain Lito Manalansan said his constituents reported about the lingering smell of tobacco at night. They also noticed that workers come to work only at night.
Manalansan also said a Chinese national named Mark Bryan Chan bought the land last February and built a warehouse last September using local construction workers.
Chan, he said, applied to operate a feed mill. The information was confirmed by Lubao Mayor Mylyn Cayabyab.
Pineda said Chan must have been operating for less than a month until village folks reported the suspicious activities there.
Central Luzon Police Director Aaron Aquino said the materials and equipment found inside the factory indicated that the facility was engaged in the full production of cigarettes including packaging. Big boxes of dried tobacco leaves had markings showing these to be imported. Boxes of apparently fake tax seals were seen in the factory.
Representatives of cigarette makers were called to the site to verify if the facility were theirs or not or if Chan was their sub-contractor or not.
