LAWMEN have arrested an individual as they seized around P1.1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in a law enforcement operation off Tawi-Tawi, the police said Sunday, October 12, 2025.
Police Major Randy Veran, Tawi-Tawi Maritime Police Station (Marpsta) chief, said the shipment of smuggled cigarettes was seized around 10:15 p.m. Thursday, October 9, in the waters of Simandagit village, Bongao, the capital town of the province.
Veran did not identify the arrested individual, who was the skipper of the motorboat carrying the smuggled cigarettes.
Veran said the Tawi-Tawi Marpsta personnel, in coordination with the Bureau of Customs, apprehended the motorboat as they launched maritime patrol utilizing High-Speed Tactical Water (HSTW)-17 upon receipt of intelligence report about transport of smuggled cigarettes.
He said the operatives seized 21 master cases of smuggling cigarettes worth P1.1 million.
The confiscated smuggled cigarettes, together with the apprehended person and the motorboat, were brought to Tawi-Tawi Marpsta for proper disposition. (SunStar Zamboanga)