P16-M smuggled cigarettes seized, cop nabbed in Zamboanga City
ZAMBOANGA CITY HALL (Wikipedia)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities arrested two people, including a police officer, and seized smuggled cigarettes valued at P16.1 million in an intelligence-driven operation here on Thursday.
Police Col. Fidel Fortaleza Jr., Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) chief, withheld the identities of the suspects pending further investigation.
The policeman, who is the alleged owner of the smuggled cigarettes, was assigned to Sulu. His driver is a resident of Barangay Divisoria in this city.
Fortaleza said police intercepted a closed van and arrested the suspects during a checkpoint operation in Sitio Bactus, Barangay Talabaan, at around 1:30 a.m.
Confiscated from the van were 282 master cases of assorted cigarettes with a total estimated value of P16.1 million.
The suspects are now under the custody of Zamboanga City Police Station 4. The confiscated cigarettes and the vehicle were turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition.
Fortaleza said the successful law enforcement operation is the result of intensified intelligence work.