KORONADAL CITY — Authorities intercepted more than ₱4 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during a checkpoint operation along the national highway in Barangay Saravia, Koronadal City, early morning of September 13, 2025.
At around 4:25 a.m., personnel of the 1st SCPMFC, 3rd Maneuver Platoon flagged down a white Isuzu light cargo truck with a temporary plate number. Officers immediately noticed reams of Titan Ice Plus cigarettes in plain view on the passenger side.
A further inspection of the vehicle revealed a significant cache of smuggled tobacco products with an estimated market value of ₱4,082,000, consisting of:
- 39 boxes of Titan Ice Plus cigarettes (1,950 reams)
- 1 box of Cannon Menthol cigarettes (50 reams)
- 3,200 individual reams of Titan Ice Plus cigarettes
The two truck occupants, identified only as alias “Jopher” and alias “Aldrin,” both from Cagayan de Oro City, failed to present proper documents for the shipment and were promptly arrested.
Police conducted an official inventory and documentation of the seized items in the presence of an elected barangay official. The confiscated cigarettes and the arrested suspects were later turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition.
Authorities vowed to sustain their operations against the entry and distribution of smuggled goods, citing the adverse impact of illicit cigarettes on government revenues and the local economy.