Cops nabbed 5, seized P630,000 smuggled cigarettes

LAWMEN arrested five persons and seized some P630,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes and two vehicles in a law enforcement operation in Maguindanao del Norte, the police said Thursday, August 15, 2024.

Police Brigadier General Prexy Tanggawohn, Police Regional Office in Bangsamoro (PRO-BAR) acting director, said the shipment of smuggled cigarettes was seized in Nuro village, Upi, Maguindanao del Norte, on Wednesday, August 14.

Tanggawohn said the policemen were conducting a checkpoint operation when they flagged down two vehicles, with five persons aboard, for inspection.

Tanggawohn said one of the two vehicles was found loaded with 40 and the other with 20 master cases of smuggled cigarettes visible from the outside.

The identities of the four persons caught transporting the smuggled cigarettes were withheld pending the filing of the case against them.

Tanggawohn said the confiscated cigarettes were marked and tagged at the scene, witnessed by the village chief of Nuro.

He said the confiscated smuggled cigarettes along with the four arrested persons were transported to Upi municipal police station for proper disposition.

Tanggawohn commended the police units for their unwavering commitment to eradicating illegal smuggling activities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“The swift and coordinated efforts of our police units demonstrate that we will not tolerate any form of illegal trade within our jurisdiction,” he added. (SunStar Zamboanga)