FILE photo of smuggled cigarettes.
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities seized smuggled cigarettes valued at P4.3 million from a van that tried to evade a checkpoint on the bypass road here on Sunday, Dec. 21.
Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, law enforcers set up a checkpoint to intercept a closed van suspected of carrying illegal goods.
A closed van allegedly driven by 33-year-old Nasip Tiblan Ladjabangsa was flagged down in the checkpoint.
Officers asked Ladjabangsa to present his driver's license but fled, triggering a brief chase.
Authorities stopped and opened the van, and discovered 48 boxes of foreign branded cigarettes.
The driver was unable to provide any documentation for his cargo.
Following the inventory, the confiscated items will be formally turned over to the Bureau of Customs for further processing.
Ladjabangsa will be brought to the Zamboanga City Police Station 7 for appropriate legal action.