LAWMEN have seized a shipment of around P1.6 million worth of contraband as they arrested two individuals in a law enforcement operation in Lanao del Sur, the police said Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
Police Brigadier General Jaysen De Guzman, Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) director, said the shipment was seized around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday, December 9, along the highway in Tual village, Picong, Lanao del Sur.
De Guzman said the Lanao del Sur policemen noticed the presence of boxes of cigarettes in plain view at the back of the vehicle while conducting anti-criminality checkpoint along the highway of Tual village.
"Upon verification, the driver failed to provide any legal documents supporting the transport of the goods," De Guzman said in a statement.
He said the driver and a companion were promptly arrested and seized from they were some 2,150 reams of smuggled cigarettes worth P1,687,750.
The two individuals and the vehicle, along with the seized contraband, were brought to Picong Municipal Police Station for documentation and the filing of appropriate charges.
De Guzman reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying anti-smuggling and anti-criminality efforts to safeguard the local economy and ensure community safety. (SunStar Zamboanga)