Pangasinan, April 18 -- Authorities have intercepted PHP1.4 million worth of illicit cigarettes in Bayambang, Pangasinan.

In a phone interview on Saturday, Pangasinan Police Provincial Office information officer, Capt. Aileen Catugas, said operatives manning a checkpoint in Barangay Zone I flagged down a white Toyota Hi-Ace commuter van for routine inspection on April 17.

"An ocular search revealed multiple boxes of assorted cigarettes concealed inside the vehicle. Verification showed that the cigarette packs bore counterfeit Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) tax stamps, indicating non-payment of excise taxes in violation of the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the TRAIN Law, and the Graphic Health Warnings Law. No suppor...