photo: PNP APC-Western Mindanao
Police seized around P1 billion worth of smuggled cigarettes in a series of operations in Mindanao since January this year, a ranking police official revealed on Thursday, Aug. 29.
Police Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, director of the Area Police Command-Western Mindanao of the Philippine National Police, said the operations were in compliance with President Marcos’ order to intensify the anti-smuggling operations in the country.
Smuggling operations rob the government of billions of pesos every year, the amount would have been used in various projects, programs and other social services.
Banac said the operations were carried out from Jan. 1 to Aug. 25 this year in Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
The operations, he said, resulted in the arrest of 61 people and confiscation of a total of 137,738 reams of smuggled cigarettes.
The estimated amount of the confiscated contraband, according to Banac, was at P1 billion.
Of the 56 anti-smuggling operations conducted, Banac said five of them were filed before the local fiscal offices while 50 were recommended for appropriate action to the Bureau of Customs.