P520,000 in ‘smuggled’ cigarettes seized in Pagadian City buy-bust

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – Authorities confiscated an estimated P520,000 worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes during a joint buy-bust operation in Barangay Banale, Pagadian City, on Monday evening.

Captain Derf Jay Maquinta, spokesperson for the Zamboanga del Sur Police Provincial Office (ZSPPO), said the operation took place around 8:50 p.m. at Purok Gemilina.

Team members from the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Intelligence Unit (ZSPIU), the Pagadian City Police Station, and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) executed the joint operation.

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READ: Cops seize P7.51-M smuggled cigarettes in N. Mindanao

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Maquinta said the operation targeted the illegal possession and trade of untaxed cigarettes in violation of Republic Act No. 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

However, the suspect, an adult male from Jolo, Sulu, escaped after apparently sensing that he was transacting with an undercover police officer.

Despite the suspect’s escape, operatives seized 904 reams of alleged illicit cigarettes, along with the buy-bust money.

The seized items were inventoried and photographed on-site in the presence of BOC representatives and a Barangay Banale councilor.

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The confiscated goods were turned over to the BOC Pagadian City Field Office for proper handling and disposition.

Police forces are currently conducting hot pursuit operations to track down and arrest the suspect./coa