MAITUM, SARANGANI – Authorities intercepted more than ₱3.1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes and arrested a suspect during a checkpoint operation conducted on May 9, 2025, in Barangay Pinol, Maitum, Sarangani Province.
According to the Police Regional Office 12 (PRO-12), the operation stemmed from a tip relayed by personnel of the 2nd Sarangani Provincial Mobile Force Company (SPMFC), who reported a suspicious Isuzu closed van believed to be transporting contraband items.
Acting on the information, a joint team composed of the Maitum Municipal Police Station (MPS), the 2nd SPMFC, the Provincial Intelligence Unit (PIU) of the Sarangani Police Provincial Office (SPPO), the 1204th Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 12 (RMFB12), and the Regional Intelligence Division 12 (RID 12) set up a checkpoint and flagged down the vehicle.
The van was driven by a man identified by the alias “Dudang,” a 41-year-old resident of Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur. Police said the driver showed signs of nervousness and was evasive during questioning. When asked to open the van’s rear compartment, authorities discovered 4,000 reams of Commando-brand smuggled cigarettes.
The seized items have an estimated market value of ₱3,143,200.
The suspect was immediately placed under arrest and is now under the custody of the Maitum MPS for documentation and further investigation. Meanwhile, the confiscated cigarettes and the vehicle will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs for appropriate legal proceedings.
PRO-12 vowed to continue its intensified campaign against smuggling and other illegal activities in the SOCCSKSARGEN region.