Exclusive with LAMI's Southeast Asia Director Mr. Miao

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced the results of the Attorney General’s Office “Operation Counter Strike” program on March 9, 2026.

The Philippine Bureau of Customs seized illegal vape products worth an estimated PHP 1 billion to PHP 1.4 billion at a warehouse in Navotas City. Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the operation was the agency’s largest crackdown on illegal vape products since 2024.

Swedish Match, a unit of Philip Morris International (PMI), will close its office in Richmond, Virginia, in April 2026 and eliminate 135 positions. PMI said the move is tied to adjustments in its U.S. operating footprint.

At a policy forum hosted by The Hill and sponsored by PMI US, U.S. defense health officials, lawmakers and industry representatives discussed tobacco use in the military and explored the potential role of smoke-free nicotine products — including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches — as transitional tools to help service members reduce reliance on combustible cigarettes.

Imperial Brands said it will gradually close the Reemtsma factory in Langenhagen near Hanover by 2027 after efforts to find a buyer failed to produce a sustainable agreement. The factory has produced cigarettes since 1971 and currently affects around 600 employees. The company said it had examined all realistic options over recent months but did not receive a binding offer from a potential buyer.

Volgograd, Russia say a retailer was caught selling unlabelled nicotine products, including electronic nicotine delivery devices flagged in the national “Honest Sign” tracking system as already withdrawn from circulation. A local court fined the entrepreneur 300,000 rubles and ordered 41 confiscated items to be destroyed, with the decision now in effect.