By Benjamin Cuaresma
Police seized an estimated ₱17.65 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes in two separate anti-smuggling operations across the Zamboanga Peninsula, leading to the interception of a delivery van and the recovery of undocumented tobacco products from a passenger bus.
The Police Regional Office 9 (PRO-9) reported that the operations on October 28 yielded 102 master cases and 500 reams of suspected illicit cigarettes.
In Zamboanga City, personnel from Police Station 13 and the 2nd Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company Seaborne intercepted a white Isuzu Elf van along Baliwasan Seaside in Barangay San Jose Gusu at around 1:27 a.m.
Acting on intelligence reports, officers inspected the vehicle after its driver failed to present valid transport documents. An inventory conducted with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) placed the seized cigarettes’ value at ₱15.71 million.
The van and its cargo were turned over to the BOC, while the driver remained under police custody for a possible violation of Republic Act 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.
In a separate operation at the Gatas Border Control Point in Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte, police recovered 500 reams of suspected smuggled cigarettes worth ₱1.93 million from suspicious baggage aboard a Bacolod-bound Ceres bus.
PRO-9 Director Brig. Gen. Elmer Ragay commended the bus crew for reporting the suspicious shipment and vowed to sustain intelligence-driven operations with the BOC to prevent the movement of illicit goods.
ia/xf
