AUTHORITIES seized more than 2,000 reams of smuggled cigarettes worth P5.2 million during an anti-criminality operation in Barangay Looc, Mandaue City, on Friday afternoon, Jan. 23, 2026.
The Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) City Intelligence Unit, led by Lt. Col. Mark Gifter Sucalit, conducted the raid at Sitio Baybayon following reports of smuggled goods circulating in the area.
Police arrested the owner of the contraband, identified as Hamedkhan Basang Angkaya, 52, a native of Zamboanga City, currently residing in Mandaue.
During the operation, operatives recovered 2,031 reams of various cigarette brands, including Alpha, King Bravo and Famous.
The sting was a joint effort between the Bureau of Customs, the National Bureau of Investigation and several regional police units under the direction of MCPO Director Col. Cirilo Acosta Jr.
Investigators launched a buy-bust operation after validating intelligence reports regarding the illegal trade.
Angkaya faces charges for violating Republic Act 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. / AYB