By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – Authorities seized PHP4.7 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during a maritime interdiction operation in Negros Oriental, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Monday.
The PNP Maritime Group’s 4th Special Operations Unit (4th SOU) carried out the seizure on Sunday after receiving information from a confidential informant about the unloading of contraband cigarettes along the coast of Sitio Lintog, Barangay Nagbo-alao, Basay, Negros Oriental.
Acting on the tip, Maritime Group operatives coordinated with the Basay Municipal Police Station and the Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office to verify the report and conduct an interdiction operation at the site.
When authorities arrived, several individuals involved in the unloading fled after noticing law enforcement presence, leaving behind numerous boxes of cigarettes believed to have been smuggled into the country.
A wooden motorized banca suspected of transporting the contraband left the shoreline before authorities could enter the finger port compound.
A subsequent inspection of the abandoned cargo led to the seizure of 83 boxes of branded cigarettes worth an estimated PHP4,755,900, including PHP4,469,000 worth of white-pack cigarettes and PHP286,900 worth of red-pack cigarettes.
The items were inventoried at the scene in the presence of a barangay kagawad, who served as witness to the operation.
The seized contraband was later transported to the 4th SOU headquarters for documentation and proper disposition.
The National Tobacco Administration will determine the official valuation and conduct further assessment. (PNA)
