AUTHORITIES arrested three individuals and seized some P1.2 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in an intelligence-driven law enforcement operation in the province of Lanao del Norte, the police said Friday, July 31, 2026.
Police Colonel Leo Sua, Lanao del Norte police director, identified the arrested individuals through their aliases as Iman, 38, a driver and resident of Poblacion, Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte; Erwin, 23, a driver; and, Nas, 57, a passenger, both residents of Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.
Sua said they were arrested around 4:05 a.m. Thursday, July 30, in Bansarvil 1 village, Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte.
Sua said the operatives were conducting checkpoint operation when they flagged down two vehicles for seat belt law violation.
“Upon inspection, the drivers also failed to present valid driver's licenses and vehicle registration documents,” Sua said in his report.
He said a subsequent verification led to the discovery of 30 master cases of assorted brand of cigarettes with an estimated value of P1.2 million concealed inside the vehicles.
He said the cigarettes were seized after the occupants of the vehicles were unable to present any documents proving the lawful importation, ownership, or transport of the cigarettes.
He said they were brought to the Kapatagan Municipal Police Station for proper documentation before being referred to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for appropriate disposition.
Meanwhile, the confiscated vehicles and the smuggled cigarettes remain under the custody of the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company pending their formal turnover to the BOC.
The checkpoint operation was carried out in coordination with the intelligence units and troops from the Army’s 5th Mechanized Infantry Battalion. (SunStar Zamboanga)