LAWMEN arrested two individuals and seized some P800,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes in a law enforcement operation in Lanao del Norte, the police said Saturday, August 23, 2025.
Police Colonel Leo Sua, Lanao del Norte acting police director, did not release the identities of the two suspects, except to say that one is a 27-year-old driver and resident of Rio Hondo village, Zamboanga City, while the other is a 28-year-old truck man and resident of Jolo, Sulu.
Sua said the two were arrested on Friday, August 22, in Purok 3, Tagulo village, Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte.
He said the contraband was seized in a checkpoint operation after operatives discovered that the van they flagged down for inspection was loaded with boxes of cigarettes.
The driver and the truck man were arrested after they failed to present documents for the cargo they were transporting.
Sua said seized from the van were some 20 master cases of undocumented cigarettes worth P800,000.
The smuggled cigarettes reportedly came from Lanao del Sur and were intended to be sold in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.
The two suspects, along with the confiscated items and the vehicle, were brought to the Sultan Naga Dimaporo Municipal Police Station for documentation.
The seized smuggled cigarettes will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs–Iligan City for proper disposition. (SunStar Zamboanga)