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P9-M ‘smuggled’ cigarettes seized in Surigao del Sur; 2 arrested

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Chris V. Panganiban

Operatives intercepted roughly P9 million worth of suspected illicit cigarettes lacking BIR tax stamps in Barangay Saint Christine, Lianga, Surigao del Sur on Friday morning.
Operatives intercepted roughly P9 million worth of suspected illicit cigarettes lacking BIR tax stamps in Barangay Saint Christine, Lianga, Surigao del Sur on Friday morning. (Photo courtesy of PNP 1st Surigao del Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company)

LIANGA, Surigao del Sur — Police seized around P9 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes and arrested two individuals during an anti-smuggling operation in Barangay Saint Christine here Friday morning.

Operatives from the 1st Surigao del Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC), led by acting force commander Maj. Magdalino G. Pimentel Jr., intercepted the contraband at around 8:10 a.m. along with joint police and government intelligence units.

The operation was launched after the Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office Special Operations Group received a tip from a concerned citizen regarding individuals unloading boxes of cigarettes from a roadside vehicle.

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Authorities said the seized goods lacked the requisite tax stamps and clearance from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

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Police identified the suspects only by their aliases: “Jun,” 27, the alleged cargo owner, and “Mon,” 50, the driver. Both are residents of Zamboanga City.

The on-site inventory, marking, and documentation of the seized contraband were witnessed by Barangay Saint Christine Chair Agustin R. Moreno Jr. and media representative Giovannie R. Abao.

The joint law enforcement action was conducted in coordination with the Lianga Municipal Police Station, the Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Surigao del Sur police, Regional Intelligence Unit 13, the National Bureau of Investigation Region 13, local barangay officials, the Bureau of Customs, the BIR, and the Department of Trade and Industry in Tandag City.

The suspects, who were apprised of their constitutional rights upon arrest, were brought to the Lianga Municipal Police Station for custody, formal documentation, and the filing of appropriate charges for violating tax and customs laws.

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