Photo courtesy of PNP
Police arrested one person and seized more than Php 6.2 million worth of alleged smuggled cigarettes during a checkpoint operation in Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte.
The Philippine National Police said the operation was conducted early Friday, June 19, in Barangay Gatas.
Personnel of the 2nd Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Mobile Force Company manned the border control point with the Kalawit Municipal Police Station and the provincial police intelligence unit.
Police flagged down a white Isuzu Elf truck after it allegedly made suspicious movements and tried to avoid inspection.
During verification, authorities found 105 cases and 230 reams of assorted cigarettes hidden among boxes of dried fish.
The driver was arrested at the checkpoint after the contraband was discovered.
Police said the seized cigarettes and the truck were placed under custody pending inventory and turnover to the Bureau of Customs.
The PNP said charges were being prepared for alleged violations of the Revised Penal Code, Graphic Health Warnings Law, and Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said the operation showed the importance of sustained checkpoint and border control efforts against smuggling.
