LAWMEN have arrested an individual and seized some P735,000 worth of contraband along the coast of Pagadian City, the capital of Zamboanga del Sur province, the police said Friday, December 26, 2025.
The Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula did not identify the arrested individual except to say he is a resident of Pagadian City.
The police said the suspect was arrested around 10:20 p.m. on Christmas Eve, December 24, in Purok Lapu-Lapu, White Beach Village, Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.
The police said operatives launched the law enforcement operation following verified information regarding the transport of smuggled cigarettes in White Beach Village.
“Upon arrival, the operatives observed a male individual aboard a fishing boat docked along the shoreline while hauling a box suspected to contain illicit cigarettes,” the PRO-Zamboanga Peninsula said in a statement on Friday, December 26.
Confiscated from the suspect were 21 master cases and 30 reams of cigarettes without the required tax stamps, with an estimated market value of P735,000.
The arrested suspect was brought to the office of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Field Unit for proper documentation and disposition.
The confiscated cigarettes were turned over to the Bureau of Customs–Pagadian City for appropriate action. (SunStar Zamboanga)