Authorities seized around ₱1.3 million worth of smuggled cigarettes and a firearm with ammunition and arrested two men during an operation in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte, police reported Wednesday.
Col. Leo Sua, acting provincial police director, said operatives intercepted a vehicle in Barangay Poblacion around 8:20 p.m. Tuesday. The vehicle was allegedly linked to a robbery-extortion incident in Tubod town earlier that day.
The driver, identified only as alias “Mark,” 36, and his companion alias “Douglas,” 35, an auxiliary of the Provincial Highway Patrol Team, were arrested.
“Upon inspection, the vehicle was found to be loaded with 34 master cases of alleged smuggled cigarettes with an estimated market value of ₱1.3 million,” Sua said in his report.
A 9mm pistol with ammunition, owned by Douglas, was later found inside a bag at the Kapatagan Municipal Police Station. The two suspects remain under investigation and are now in police custody.
The seized cigarettes will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Iligan City for proper disposition.
In a separate case, police also confiscated ₱1.1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes Monday night in Barangay Bauyan, Sultan Naga Dimaporo. No arrests were made, as the supposed owner was not present when police raided the site following a tip from residents.