(UPDATE) THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a P5.7-billion tax evasion case against five Chinese linked to the large-scale smuggling of cigarettes uncovered during a joint operation by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Valenzuela and Bulacan last November.

The Office of the City Prosecutor of Valenzuela found sufficient evidence to support the BIR's complaint, leading to the formal filing of charges before the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) on March 13, 2025.