LAWMEN arrested a driver of a courier firm and seized around P5.9 million worth smuggled cigarettes in an intelligence-driven law enforcement operation in Zamboanga City, the police said Tuesday, March 10, 2026.
The Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) identified the arrested driver as alias Randy, 43, a resident of Calarian village, Zamboanga City.
The ZCPO said Randy was arrested when the operatives intercepted a delivery truck carrying smuggled cigarettes around 6 p.m. Monday, March 9, along the bypass road linking the villages of Boalan and Tugbungan, Zamboanga City.
The ZCPO said that during an inspection, led by an examiner of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), it was found out that the vehicle contained boxes of cigarettes.
Seized from the truck were 43 master cases and 75 reams of assorted smuggled cigarettes concealed in bubble wrap bags worth P5.9 million.
The truck and confiscated smuggled cigarettes, along with the driver, are presently under the custody of ZCPS5 pending turnover to the BOC.
The ZCPO has yet to determine the owner of the confiscated smuggled cigarettes. (SunStar Zamboanga)