AUTHORITIES have arrested four persons and seized over P1.1 million worth of contraband in separate anti-smuggling operations in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), the police said.
One of the four was arrested while transporting smuggled petroleum products in Sunday, July 20, 2025, off Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.
The Maritime policemen were on seaborne patrol when they intercepted an unmarked motorboat loaded with 6,000 liters of diesel worth P276,000.
The Tawi-Tawi Maritime Police Station said the arrested suspect and the confiscated fuel were brought to the 1st Special Operations Unit-Maritime Group headquarters before for documentation and proper disposition.
Charges for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act will be filed against the arrested suspect.
The other three suspects were arrested by policemen in an intelligence-driven anti-smuggling operation around 9 p.m. Friday, July 18, in Kamasi village, Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur.
The Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) identified the arrested suspects through their aliases as Yasser, 24; Noel, 19; and Jeffrey, 22.
The PRO-BAR said launched a checkpoint operation in response to an intelligence report about the shipment of smuggled cigarettes.
Seized from the suspects' vehicle were some P913,280 worth of smuggled cigarettes. The vehicle's registration is also expired.
The suspects, the seized contraband and the vehicle used in the transport have been place in the custody of Ampatuan Municipal Police Station for proper documentation and disposition. (SunStar Zamboanga)