AN INDIVIDUAL was arrested, while around P400,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes were seized in a law enforcement operation in the province of Lanao del Norte, a top police official said Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
Police Colonel Leo Sua, Lanao del Norte police director, identified the arrested individual as alias Al, 27, a resident of Poblacion village, Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Al was accompanied by a minor.
Sua said Al was arrested around 9:10 a.m. Monday, August 3, in Samburon village, Linamon, Lanao del Norte.
The operatives were conducting a checkpoint operation when they flagged down a pick-up truck for routine inspection.
“During inspection, checkpoint personnel observed, in plain view, several reams of alleged smuggled cigarettes placed on the rear seat of the vehicle,” Sua said in his report.
He said the operatives seized 500 reams of cigarettes with an estimated market value of P400,000 after Al failed to present any documents proving the lawful transport or ownership of the cargo.
The confiscated vehicle and smuggled cigarettes are currently under the custody of the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company, pending their formal turnover to the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
Sua commended the operating personnel for their vigilance and reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying anti-smuggling operations. (SunStar Zamboanga)