P1.2-M smuggled cigarettes seized in quake-hit Sarangani province

Police seized over PHP1.2 million worth of imported smuggled cigarettes in quake-hit Glan town, Sarangani province on Tuesday evening after acting on a tip by a concerned citizen. 'The cigarettes were abandoned near the coastline of Barangay Glan Padidu in Glan town at past 9 p.m.,' Brig. Gen. Jimili Macaraeg, police director for the Soccsksargen region, said in a report Wednesday. Macaraeg said the smugglers, led by Renante Galos and two unidentified cohorts, fled on a motorboat upon sensing the approaching police officers. The contraband, covered in tarpaulin, is believed to be from Indonesia and reportedly intended for Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat. The 28 boxes of cigarette contraband are now in the custody of the Glan municipal police office. A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck Glan, Sarangani on Tuesday morning, three days following a tremor that killed four people and injured 61. The quake was also felt in six regions in Mindanao. Source: Philippines News Agency