MANILA – More than PHP4.1 million worth of illegal cigarettes were seized by a joint operation of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Negros Occidental.
In a belated news release Saturday, the BOC reported that aside from the illegal items, the driver of the van and his companion, both residents of Barangay Cogon, Dipolog City, are now under police custody.
The confiscated cigarettes were discovered inside a refrigerated van in Ilog town on Oct. 21 without Bureau of Internal Revenue tax stamps.
The operation began after the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service received an intelligence report from the PNP regarding a white refrigerated van allegedly carrying 3,754 reams of smuggled cigarettes.
“We will continue to strengthen coordination with other agencies to curb smuggling and protect our economy,” the BOC said. (Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
