AUTHORITIES have seized some P480,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes and arrested three persons in an anti-smuggling operation in Lanao del Sur, the police said Sunday, April 13, 2025.
Police Colonel Robert Daculan, Lanao del Sur police director, did not identify the arrested person except to say they are all residents of Maladug village, Picong.
Daculan said the smuggled cigarettes were seized around 10:45 p.m. Friday, April 11, in Bubong, Bacolod-Kalawi, Lanao del Sur.
Daculan said the policemen flagged down a sports utility vehicle (SUV) for inspection while conducting an anti-smuggling campaign through checkpoint operation.
Upon inspection, the policemen found the SUV loaded with 20 master cases of smuggled cigarettes worth P480,000.
Daculan said the confiscated smuggled cigarettes and the SUV are now in the custody of Bacolod-Kalawi Municipal Police Station for documentation.
He said the confiscated smuggled cigarettes and the SUV will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition. (SunStar Zamboanga)