P450,000 fake cigarettes ‘missing’ from MPD station – NCRPO

MANILA, Philippines —  The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is investigating the disappearance of P450,000 worth of counterfeit cigarettes from a police station in Manila, an official said yesterday.

“We would dig deeper into the incident and punish those responsible for the illegal release of the fake cigarettes as part of the cleansing program of the Philippine National Police,” NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said in an interview.

He said he received a report that the MPD station confiscated 29 boxes of counterfeit cigarettes from a Chinese businessman identified only as Edwin last March 26.

The station filed corresponding charges against Edwin but a policeman, identified only as Tobias, worked with the city prosecutor’s office for the “release for further investigation” or RFI of the contraband, the report stated.

After the RFI order was issued, a precinct commander sold the confiscated cigarettes to a barangay councilor, identified as Wilson, for an undisclosed amount.

Eleazar called on Edwin to surface and file charges against the policemen involved in the mess.