ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police seized Thursday, Aug. 25, P1.1-million worth of smuggled cigarettes from a stalled vehicle whose driver they were helping for a flat tire in Barangay Sinunuc here.
A report from the Police Regional Office-9 said personnel of the Police Station 8 together with intelligence operatives were conducting roving patrol when they decided to stop and help a stalled minivan by the roadside.
A policeman was handing a mechanical tool to the driver, identified as Benhar Gani Tunggal, 30, when he saw boxes of cigarettes inside the van.
Further investigation revealed that the cargo, consisting of 32 boxes of Casablanca red cigarettes worth P1,120,000, had no documents authorizing their transport.
Tunggal and his laborer, Aldimar Idjan, together with the vehicle and the contraband, were turned over to the Bureau of Customs for disposition.