Camp Alagar, Cagayan de Oro City – Police Regional Office 10 (PRO10) successfully confiscated ₱4.8 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in two separate operations in Lanao del Norte on January 7 and 8, 2025.
The first operation occurred on January 7 at around 6:00 PM in Purok 3, Barangay Mamagum, Sultan Naga Dimaporo. Officers from the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) of the Lanao del Norte Police Provincial Office (LDN PPO) flagged down a red Honda TMX tricycle during a routine checkpoint.
Upon inspection, the vehicle was found carrying 15 reams of Champion White Cigarettes concealed in a shopping bag, valued at ₱12,000. Two suspects, identified only as “Inday,” 36, and “Nene,” 52, both residents of Picong, Lanao del Sur, were arrested. The driver, who claimed ignorance of the illegal cargo, stated that he was merely hired to transport the goods.
The suspects and confiscated items are now in the custody of Sultan Naga Dimaporo Municipal Police Station (MPS), where charges for violating Republic Act No. 10643 (Graphic Health Warnings Law) and Republic Act No. 8293 (Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines) are being prepared.
The second operation was conducted in the early hours of January 8, around 3:30 AM, at the Regional Border Control Point in Barangay Campong, Pantar. Personnel from the 1005th Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 10, in coordination with Pantar MPS, intercepted a white Isuzu truck van.
The truck, driven by “Jay,” 50, and accompanied by “Mon,” 30, both residents of Malabang, Lanao del Sur, was carrying smuggled cigarettes without proper documentation. The seized items included 68 master cases of Modern Cigarettes, 27 master cases of Delta Cigarettes, 16 master cases of New Far Red Cigarettes, and 9 master cases of New Far Green Cigarettes, totaling ₱4.8 million in market value.
The suspects are now in the custody of Pantar MPS, and the confiscated items, along with the vehicle, will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs in Iligan City for proper disposition.
PBGEN Jaysen C. De Guzman, Regional Director of PRO10, lauded the efforts of the operating units.
“We will remain vigilant and committed to fighting smuggling activities across the region. I would like to remind everyone, especially those engaging in illegal activities, that we will not stop our efforts to dismantle criminal operations and bring those involved to justice,” he said.
The operations underscore PRO10’s unwavering commitment to combating smuggling and upholding the law in Northern Mindanao.