(Image courtesy of PRO-BAR)
CAMP SK PENDATUN, Maguindanao Norte – The Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) reported Monday the seizure of PHP110,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes, barely two days after authorities confiscated PHP10.6 million of the same trafficked items in Indanan, Sulu.
Brig. Gen. Prexy Tanggawohn, PRO-BAR director, said alert police and Bureau of Customs (BOC) officers recovered an abandoned motor vessel docked at Picong coast in Lanao del Sur at 9 a.m. Monday, loaded with the PHP110,000 worth of contraband.
“The Picong police received a tip from a concerned citizen about the abandoned vessel loaded with boxes of smuggled cigarettes in Barangay Liangan,” Tanggawohn said.
On Saturday, the police and BOC arrested a suspected smuggler and seized PHP10.6 million worth of contraband in Indanan.
“Police and BOC representatives were monitoring a warehouse at that time when the hauling of boxes of cigarettes was ongoing, Tanggawohn said.
As authorities got closer, they discovered the illegal activity and caught a certain “Jim” in possession of smuggled cigarette boxes.
Police found 297 boxes with 14,850 reams of cigarettes estimated to cost P10,665,000 inside the warehouse.
The seized items were turned over to the BOC.
“These effective operations demonstrate PRO BAR's dedication to eradicating smuggling and defending the Bangsamoro region's economic interests,” he said.
The total tax liability from confiscated illicit cigarettes and vape products this year has already exceeded PHP7 billion, the Bureau of Internal Revenue said. (PNA)
