KAPATAGAN, Lanao del Norte — Authorities seized an estimated ₱160,000 worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes after the driver of a pickup truck fled from a routine checkpoint operation and later abandoned the vehicle following a hot pursuit operation in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte.
According to police reports, personnel of the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) were conducting a routine checkpoint operation in Barangay Bansarvil 1 when a white Nissan Navara pickup truck approached the area.
Instead of complying with standard checkpoint procedures, the driver allegedly ignored signals from law enforcement officers and suddenly accelerated, speeding past the checkpoint in an apparent attempt to evade inspection.
The incident prompted authorities to immediately launch a hot pursuit operation. The 2nd PMFC, working closely with troops from the 51st Mechanized Company of the Philippine Army, tracked the fleeing vehicle across several kilometers.
The pursuit eventually led authorities to a remote area in Barangay Butadon, where the pickup truck was found abandoned. However, the driver had already escaped before law enforcement personnel arrived at the scene.
A thorough inspection of the vehicle uncovered 200 reams of suspected smuggled Modern cigarettes concealed beneath the rear seat of the pickup truck. Authorities estimated the value of the confiscated cigarettes at approximately ₱160,000.
The seized contraband and the abandoned vehicle were transported to the headquarters of the 2nd PMFC for proper documentation, inventory, and legal processing.
Investigators are now working to identify and locate the driver who fled the operation, as well as determine the registered owner of the vehicle and possible links to cigarette smuggling activities in the region.
Authorities said the confiscated cigarettes will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs for further verification and appropriate disposition in accordance with customs and anti-smuggling regulations.
The successful operation forms part of the government’s intensified campaign against smuggling and other illicit trade activities, which continue to deprive the state of revenue and pose challenges to law enforcement efforts across the country.
No arrests have been made as of this writing, while the investigation remains ongoing.