Manila, Feb. 19 -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) has directed all police chiefs to strengthen coordination with local government units to identify suspicious warehouses and sites that may be used for the storage or manufacturing of illegal cigarettes.

In a statement on Thursday, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. noted that vital information against criminal elements and activities usually comes from local residents and officials, especially at the barangay level.

He cited the case of two recent successful operations that netted millions of pesos worth of smuggled cigarettes - one in San Simon, Pampanga, which was provided by a netizen, and another in Maguindanao del Norte that started as a tip-off.

"Police and community ...