P1M in contraband cigarettes intercepted at Zamboanga Sibugay checkpoint

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – Joint security forces intercepted over P1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during a random checkpoint along the national highway in Barangay La Paz, Naga town, Zamboanga Sibugay on Friday afternoon, Oct. 2.

Personnel from the Naga municipal police station, with assistance from troops of the Army’s 106th Infantry Battalion and the La Paz temporary patrol base, intercepted a black Mitsubishi Montero Sport carrying the illegal cargo at around 3:55 p.m. at Purok Lubay.

READ: P1.2-M ‘smuggled’ cigarettes seized in Zamboanga Sibugay

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Police Captain Russel Jan Parungao, information officer of the Zamboanga Sibugay Police Provincial Office, said officers flagged down the vehicle after observing suspicious circumstances during the routine check.

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A thorough inspection guided by the plain view doctrine revealed 18 master cases and 95 reams of contraband cigarettes hidden inside the SUV.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) appraised the seized smuggled cigarettes at P1,074,000.

The suspect and the confiscated items were brought to the Naga municipal police station for documentation and custody before being turned over to the BOC for proper legal disposition. INQ