Maguindanao del Norte — Authorities confiscated an estimated Php 3 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during a COMELEC checkpoint operation conducted by the Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO BAR) on Tuesday.
The operation was carried out after a wing van was flagged down and found to contain 150 boxes of smuggled cigarettes—30 boxes of FORT and 120 boxes of BERLIN brands.
Police said the suspects failed to present any legal documents for the importation and transport of the contraband. They were immediately arrested for violating Republic Act No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, and Republic Act No. 10643 or the Graphic Health Warning Law.
Both the arrested individuals and the confiscated items are now in the custody of the Parang Municipal Police Station for proper disposition.
Police Brigadier General Jaysen C. De Guzman, Regional Director of PRO BAR, lauded the swift action of the operating units. He stressed that the successful operation reflects the agency’s firm resolve, along with partner agencies, to combat smuggling and enforce national laws across the Bangsamoro region.