P138-M smuggled cigarettes seized in 2 weeks in Negros Island
SMUGGLED cigarettes worth P45 million seized in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental on Sunday, April 19. (PRO-NIR)
BACOLOD CITY – The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) has seized P138.5 million in smuggled cigarettes in two weeks in Negros Island.
PRO-NIR chief Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay vowed to sustain aggressive enforcement and strengthen their operational posture against cigarette smuggling.
“This campaign will not stop here, we will expand intelligence coverage to ensure that smuggling activities are consistently intercepted and dismantled at all levels,” Ibay said.
Ibay said they will also enhance inter-agency coordination and assured the public that they will remain relentless in their mandate to uphold the law, protect government revenues, and safeguard the integrity and security of the region.
Police conducted 25 operations from April 5 to April 19 and arrested 12 individuals and recovered 56,393.5 reams of smuggled cigarettes with an estimated value of P138,580,796.
The PRO-NIR said these reflect their sustained operational momentum in disrupting the supply chain of smuggled tobacco products and preventing their distribution within local markets.
Operating units were recognized for their achievements at the PRO-NIR headquarters here on Monday, April 20.