photo: CIDG
Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) seized more than P11.6 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in an operation in Zamboanga City, a police official said on Thursday, Jan. 23.
CIDG director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said the operation was part of the aggressive anti-smuggling operations that resulted in billions of pesos worth of tax losses of the national government.
During the operation on Vicente Alvarez Drive in Barangay Talon-Talon, police confiscated a total of 203 master cases of smuggled cigarettes with an estimated value of P11.6 million.
Torre said the seized items are now under the custody of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Revenue Region No. 15 for a detailed inventory and thorough investigation.
He said a case build-up is underway for the possible filing of charges for RA 8424 violations against the individuals or entities responsible for these illegal activities.