Three ambulant vendors were caught selling fake cigarettes last March 28 at South Central and Brookspoint.
A store owner reported the selling of fake cigarettes in their barangay, said South Central Aurora Hill Ceasar Alim.
Alim, together with policemen of the Baguio City Police Office Station 6, caught the violators while they were distributing fake cigarettes in the sari-sari stores.
Confiscated from the vendors were 32 reams fake cigarettes worth P16,000. The vendors were issued citation tickets for violating the Smoke-Free Baguio and Anti-Peddling ordinances.
The confiscated fake cigarettes were turned over to Public Order and Safety Division for proper packing and disposal.
POSD Security Officer Daryll Kim Longid said the vendors are from Pangasinan but renting in Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet. He said the vendors had a consignment agreement with the main source of the fake cigarettes.
Longid said they will be coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation-Counter Intelligence Division Cordillera for entrapment operation.
According to the World Health Organization, smoking increases the risk of the Covid-19 infection. It said smoking weakens the respiratory system making one more vulnerable to contagious diseases. – Catherine Cimatu
