By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – Law enforcers seized more than PHP4.27 million worth of smuggled tobacco products in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte on Tuesday.
In a news release on Wednesday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said the operation started from a tip about an alleged loading activity involving smuggled cigarettes in Purok Survive, Barangay Making around 9 a.m.
Acting on the report, responding police personnel, onboard a mobile patrol vehicle, immediately proceeded to the location.
However, upon noticing the approaching police vehicle, an undetermined number of male individuals fled in different directions, leaving behind several boxes of cigarettes in plain view.
Recovered from the area were 100 assorted master cases or approximately 5,000 reams of smuggled cigarettes with an estimated market value of PHP4,278,400.
“This seizure is a vital victory in our broader economic and security strategy. Every stick of smuggled cigarette represents lost revenue that should have funded hospitals, schools, and social services,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said.
The PNP said the successful operation was another product of a tip-off regarding the illegal cigarette trade in the country.
On Monday, operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) seized around PHP70 million worth of smuggled cigarettes based on the information relayed by a netizen.
“We are narrowing the gap for these criminals to operate, and we will continue to hit them where it hurts — their pockets and their logistics,” Nartatez said.
He stressed that the campaign against illicit trade will be sustained and intensified across key transit corridors, not only in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, but across the country. (PNA)
