AUTHORITIES have apprehended a 34-year-old driver and seized some P120,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes in a law enforcement operation in the province of Lanao del Norte, the police said Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Police Colonel Leo Sua, Lanao del Norte police director, identified the arrested driver as alias Amar, 34, a resident of Inudaran village, Kauswagan municipality.
Sua said Amar was arrested around 4:50 a.m. Wednesday, September 16, in Samburon village, Linamon, Lanao del Norte.
Sua said the operatives were conducting checkpoint operation when they flagged down as rear-engine three-wheeled vehicle locally known as “Bao-Bao” for inspection.
“During the inspection, operating personnel observed several reams of cigarettes at the rear portion of the vehicle,” Sua said in his report.
He said Amar was arrested and his cargo confiscated after failure to present pertinent documents for the items.
He said confiscated were 150 reams of red Modern brand cigarettes, with an estimated market value of P120,000, along with the vehicle used to transport the items.
Amar was brought to Linamon Municipal Police Station for documentation and proper disposition and was subsequently referred to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for appropriate action.
The vehicle and confiscated cigarettes remain under the custody of the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company pending proper turnover to the BOC. (SunStar Zamboanga)