Photo courtesy of PNP
Police, customs personnel, and Army troops intercepted suspected smuggled cigarettes worth about Php 9.47 million in Pitogo, Zamboanga del Sur, on June 28.
The Philippine National Police said the operation was launched after a concerned citizen reported that bundles of suspected contraband were being unloaded from a pump boat and transferred to waiting vehicles.
Personnel of the Pitogo Municipal Police Station coordinated with the Bureau of Customs and intelligence operatives of the Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion after receiving the information.
Authorities arrested three men, aged 21, 37, and 48, who were allegedly caught loading the suspected smuggled cigarettes.
The Bureau of Customs valued the recovered shipment at Php 9,469,723.20, consisting of 60 master cases of suspected smuggled cigarettes.
Police also recovered three vehicles and a pump boat believed to have been used to transport the shipment.
Authorities said police-issued uniforms, equipment, and identification cards were found in one of the vehicles, prompting a follow-up investigation into their connection to the incident.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Nartatez said the operation showed quick coordination among agencies and vowed accountability if evidence showed the involvement of any police personnel. He said anti-smuggling operations would continue to protect government revenues, legitimate businesses, and the country’s economic interests.