AUTHORITIES arrested one person and seized more than P1.1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in an anti-smuggling campaign in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, the police reported Friday, September 23, 2022.

Police Major Samson Pascual, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Zamboanga del Sur provincial field unit chief, identified the arrested person as Adsar Buhari, 29, a resident of Kigas village, Malangas, Zamboanga Sibugy.

Pascual said that Buhari was arrested in an anti-smuggling operation around 11:09 a.m. Thursday at Purok Gutob in Old Labangan village, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur.

However, Pascual said that Mohammad Yasser Nakan, a companion of Buhari, eluded arrest.

Pascual said that policemen together with soldiers in coordination with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Bureau of Internal Revenue went to Purok Gutob in Old Labangan village after they received information that smuggled cigarettes are being unloaded in the area.

He said that upon inspection and investigation, Buhari failed to present any document of the cargo while Nakan fled upon sensing the arrival of the lawmen.

He said that seized by the team were 34 master cases of San Marino brand smuggled cigarettes with a market value of P1,190,000, a four-wheel vehicle, a wallet containing P30,000 cash, a driver’s license and identification cards. (SunStar Zamboanga)