P4.5 million cigarettes seized in Zamboanga

Zamboanga City, Philippines — Smuggled cigarettes with an estimated market value of at least P4.5 million were seized in this city over the weekend.

Agents of the police Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) and the city police intelligence unit initially tracked down at least 115 master cases of smuggled cigarettes in Southcom Village, Barangay Calarian on Thursday.

The operation resulted in the arrest of Sonny Jawala, who was reportedly caught unloading the cigarettes from a van into a storage area, according to Col. Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City police chief.

Lorenzo said a follow-up operation resulted in the seizure of 15 master cases of cigarettes valued at P525,000 from a vehicle that was found abandoned in Barangay Tetuan at dawn on Saturday.

The series of anti-smuggling operations, which started on Wednesday, resulted in the seizure of a total of P8.5 million worth of cigarettes.

On Wednesday, police seized 113 master cases of cigarettes as the contraband was being unloaded from a vehicle in Barangay Maasin.

The cigarettes were turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition.