Sarangani Province — A joint police intelligence team seized 173 reams of suspected smuggled cigarettes and arrested a local businessman during an anti-smuggling operation in Barangay Kablacan, Maasim, on November 20, 2025.
According to the Sarangani Police Provincial Office, operatives from the Maasim Municipal Police Station—led by PMAJ Edgar M. Vanzuela—together with personnel from PIU-SPPO, RID-12, RIU-12, and the 1204th RMFB, were conducting surveillance in Purok Danggan when they spotted a man openly sorting reams of undocumented cigarettes at his store.
Police immediately approached the individual and asked for documents authorizing the possession or sale of the items. The man, later identified as “Jam,” 33, a resident of the barangay, failed to present any permits. He was arrested on the spot.
Authorities said the suspect was informed of the reason for his arrest and his constitutional rights in a dialect he understood. The seized items were then marked and inventoried at the scene, with barangay officials witnessing the process as required by law.
Recovered from the operation were 173 reams of suspected smuggled cigarettes, estimated to be worth ₱135,934.40.
The suspect and the confiscated items were brought to the Maasim Municipal Police Station for documentation. The cigarettes will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition, while police prepare to file charges for violations of Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, and Republic Act 10643 or the Graphic Health Warning Law.
Police continue to intensify operations against smuggling activities in the province, warning that more arrests are expected as monitoring is tightened.