(Photo courtesy of PRO-9)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police arrested a suspected smuggler and confiscated about Php 2.8 million worth of allegedly smuggled cigarettes in Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte before dawn Friday.
Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula Director Brig. Gen. Elmer Ragay said personnel from the Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Intelligence Unit conducted the operation at around 3:30 a.m. along the shoreline of Barangay Timan, in coordination with the Liloy Municipal Police Station.
The suspect was identified only as a 39-year-old resident of Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Authorities seized 44 cases of San Marino cigarettes and five cases of Cannon Menthol cigarettes.
Ragay said the shipment had arrived at the shoreline aboard a white pump boat, which was also confiscated during the operation.
He said police would continue intelligence-driven operations and coordination with partner agencies while maintaining tighter security along coastal areas and other possible smuggling entry points.
