TWO people were arrested while some P17,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes seized in anti-smuggling operations General Santos City, the police reported Tuesday, September 6, 2022.

Police Colonel Richard Verceles, operations chief of the Area Police Command-Western Mindanao, identified the arrested individuals as Edmon Ayob, 29l and, Mamay Cocodaw, 29.

Verceles said that Ayob was arrested while driving motorcycle loaded with undocumented cigarettes around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in downtown General Santos City.

Seized from Ayob was a motorcycle and P11,600 worth of assorted cigarettes believed to have been smuggled from Indonesia.

Verceles said that Cocodaw was arrested, 15 minutes after Ayob’s arrest.

Cocodaw was also a motorcycle loaded with undocumented cigarettes in downtown Genral Santos City.

Confiscated from Cocodaw were a motorcycle and P5,400 worth of undocumented cigarettes.

Verceles said that two were arrested one after the other after policemen received information from informant about the distribution of smuggled cigarettes to stores in downtown General Santos City.

He said that formal charges will be filed against the arrested suspects. (SunStar Zamboanga)