Manila, June 19 -- The government's campaign against illicit tobacco is focused on dismantling major criminal syndicates and financiers, rather than penalizing small retailers and other vulnerable players in the supply chain, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Friday.

Remulla said in imposing tougher penalties and filing non-bailable cases, the masterminds who profit from the illegal activity must be distinguished from the ordinary individuals who are often drawn into unlawful operations by larger syndicates.

"We give more compassion towards the smaller people and more enforcement versus the bigger people," he said at a summit in Pasig City.

From October 2025 to June 2026, authorities seized more than PHP8 billion worth of illegal...