GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Authorities seized over ₱1.3 million worth of smuggled cigarettes and arrested a farmer during a joint law enforcement operation in Barangay Labangal on September 24, 2025.
Operatives from Police Station 2, the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), City Intelligence Unit (CIU), City Mobile Force Company (CMFC), and the Gensan MARPSTA, all under the General Santos City Police Office (GSCPO), implemented search warrants against alias “Titing,” 48, married, and a farmer.
Upon arrival, police noticed a tricycle parked in front of the suspect’s residence. Two unidentified men fled the scene upon spotting the patrol vehicle, abandoning the tricycle. A quick inspection led to the discovery of three boxes of Gajah Baru cigarettes in plain view, later confirmed by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) as smuggled goods worth ₱117,870.
Inside a closed room in the suspect’s home, operatives uncovered additional contraband: four boxes of Tabaco One, 16 boxes of King Perfect, seven boxes of Cannon Menthol, and eight boxes of Gajah Baru cigarettes. The BOC certified all items as smuggled, with a total estimated market value of ₱1,375,150. No firearms or ammunition were recovered during the searches.
The suspect was immediately arrested for violation of Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. A second search at another property owned by the respondent yielded negative results.
The seized items were marked, inventoried on-site, and later turned over to the Bureau of Customs in General Santos City for documentation and proper disposition. The suspect is now under the custody of Police Station 2. Authorities have launched a follow-up investigation to identify the two individuals who escaped and their possible ties to the smuggled cigarettes.
“Smuggling not only undermines our economy but also deprives our people of rightful government revenues. PRO 12 will continue to work closely with the Bureau of Customs and other agencies to stop the illegal entry and circulation of these products in SOCCSKSARGEN,” said PBGEN Arnold P. Ardiente, Regional Director of Police Regional Office 12.