ZAMBOANGA CITY – Joint police and military operatives seized early Tuesday some PHP8 million shipment of smuggled cigarettes in an east coast barangay here, a top police official announced.
Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) director, said the cigarette shipment was seized around 2:15 a.m. in Barangay Divisoria, some 6 kilometers east of the city proper.
Ylagan said the troops were manning a fixed checkpoint when they flagged an eight-wheeler cargo van that was traveling towards the east coast coming from the city proper.
Ylagan said upon inspection, the cargo van was found loaded with 439 master cases of assorted cigarettes worth PHP8 million covered with 30 empty blue plastic drums.
He said the cargo van driver, Jereel Hofelina, 41, and his truckman, Alnasher Arraji, 36, failed to show any documents of the cargoes.
He said the van and its cargoes, as well as the driver and the truckman, were placed under the custody of the Zamboanga City Police Office’s (ZCPO) Station 5 for proper disposition. (PNA)
Source: Philippines News Agency
