AUTHORITIES have confiscated some P1.4 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in Cotabato City, the police reported Saturday, February 10, 2024.
The Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) said the smuggled cigarettes were confiscated around 4:30 a.m. Friday, February 9, at the riverside in Purok Nyugan in Kalanganan 2, Cotabato City.
Before the confiscation, the police received information that 74 master cases of assorted smuggled cigarettes worth P1,480,000 were waiting for shipment near the riverbank, prompting them operatives to verify it.
“The operatives found a blue-tarpaulin-covered cache of allegedly smuggled cigarettes,” the PRO-BAR added.
The PRO-BAR said the policemen confiscated the 74 master cases of cigarettes after no one claimed ownership despite inquiries in the surrounding areas as to the identity of the owner.
The confiscated cigarettes were placed under the custody of the Police Station of Cotabato City Police Office prior to their turnover to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition.
Police Brigadier Allan Nobleza, PRO-BAR director, lauded the operatives for their unceasing efforts to combat the unlawful smuggling of counterfeit and smuggled items in the region.
Nobleza warned the public not to buy smuggled cigarettes since doing so is a form of economic sabotage that hinders the country's prosperity. (SunStar Zamboanga)