Key Points:
·Law enforcement operation: The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Trade and Industry conducted a joint entrapment operation, successfully capturing five members of a criminal group.
·Illegal methods: The suspects were selling unregistered e-cigarette products through a Facebook page "port2pasok." Amount involved: 25,653 e-cigarettes were seized, with a market value of approximately 8.16 million pesos (around 150,000 USD).
·Legal basis: Violation of Republic Act No. 11900 and the Cybercrime Prevention Act, among other laws.
·Follow-up actions: The suspects are in NBI custody and the case has been transferred to the Manila City Prosecutor's Office for investigation.
According to a report by the Daily Tribune on July 7th, the NBI agents in the National Capital Region arrested five suspects involved in the illegal sale and distribution of e-cigarette products in Santa Cruz, Manila.
The suspect has been accused of using social media, particularly through the Facebook.com and port2pasok pages, to distribute e-cigarette products that have not been approved by the government. This violates Republic Act No. 11900 (Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Vapor Products Regulation Act). Subsequently, a special agent from the National Bureau of Investigation conducted a test purchase and confirmed that these items were not registered with the Department of Trade and Industry.
On June 27, 2025, the special agent made another test purchase through a Facebook page, resulting in the purchase of more unregistered items, including products labeled as "Haze," "Astra," and "Black Market.
On July 3rd, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) held a joint press conference before conducting a sting operation targeting electronic nicotine products. Five suspects were arrested in subsequent operations. Authorities seized a total of 25,653 e-cigarette products, estimated to have a market value of 8.16 million pesos (approximately $150,000).
These suspects are under investigation by the Manila City Prosecutor's Office for violating the Nicotine Vapor Products Act, Cybercrime Prevention Act, and Philippine Consumer Act.
They are currently still being detained in the security management department of the National Investigation Bureau.
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