Dumaguete: Police in Negros Oriental have intensified their campaign against suspected smuggled cigarettes amid indications that the contraband is now being distributed in smaller quantities to retailers, a police official said Tuesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Capt. Stephen Jaynard Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO), stated that police are conducting intelligence and monitoring operations to determine whether smugglers have shifted from bulk distribution to supplying smaller volumes to retailers.

During an online media briefing, Polinar revealed that except for one major seizure in July, most police operations have recovered only small volumes of undocumented cigarettes. Police have confiscated an estimated PHP2.9 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes during 151 operations across the province, leading to the arrest of five individuals.

The largest haul was made on July 4 in Vallehermoso town, where authorities seized an estimated PHP2.6 million worth of undocumented cigarettes. "The remaining operations in other towns and cities yielded smaller quantities, with the value of confiscated cigarettes ranging from PHP1,000 to PHP48,000," Polinar noted.

The Vallehermoso operation, which resulted in the arrest of four suspects, also provided authorities with information about an alleged warehouse in Tanjay City. Investigators believe the suspects originated from Tanjay and were headed to San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, when they were intercepted.

Police are also pursuing leads on potential storage facilities and drop-off points where the contraband cigarettes are allegedly stockpiled before being distributed. Meanwhile, Polinar reported that police seized about PHP23 million worth of suspected shabu in Negros Oriental from January to July.