Cops seize P7.51-M smuggled cigarettes in N. Mindanao

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Contraband couriers in Northern Mindanao watched millions go up in smoke without lighting a single match after back-to-back police intercepts yielded over P7.51 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in less than 12 hours.

Authorities confiscated an exact total of P7,515,600 in illicit tobacco during separate law enforcement operations in Iligan City and Opol, Misamis Oriental, between the afternoon of Sept. 1 and the early hours of Sept. 2.

The first interdiction occurred around 4:50 p.m. on Sept. 1 along the National Highway at Purok 5, Sitio Mapalad, Barangay Dalipuga, Iligan City. Operatives from the City Intelligence Unit–City Special Operations Unit flagged down two Toyota Hi Ace vans — one white and one Silver Mica Metallic — at a checkpoint.

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READ: P14-M smuggled cigarettes hidden under coconuts busted in Maguindanao

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An inspection revealed 2,082 reams of “Modern” brand cigarettes valued at P1,665,600. The four vehicle occupants, all residents of Balo-i, Lanao del Norte, failed to produce importation clearances, Bureau of Customs (BOC) documents, tax stamps, or proof of tax duty payments.

The suspects claimed they were hired in Balo-i to haul the cargo from Marawi City to Cagayan de Oro City, claims police said remain subject to verification.

By 2 a.m. the following morning, a seaside tip-off triggered the second seizure along the coast of Barangay Barra in Opol, Misamis Oriental.

Alerted by an informant half an hour earlier, operatives from the Misamis Oriental Maritime Police Station, Opol Municipal Police, the BOC, and local barangay officials caught a 28-year-old suspect, alias “Ado,” unloading illicit cargo from an improvised floating device.

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The beach intercept yielded 117 master cases holding 5,850 reams of Cannon Menthol 100s cigarettes, estimated at P5,850,000.

All seized items are slated for turnover to the Bureau of Customs for proper documentation and disposition.

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Brig. Gen. Nestor Babagay Jr., Police Regional Office-10 (PRO-10) director, credited the seizures to sustained, intelligence-led enforcement and inter-agency coordination, reiterating that regional units will maintain visible deterrence to halt the transit of untaxed goods across the region.

“We need strong intelligence, visible policing, and active community partnership to effectively prevent and suppress criminality. Our people can expect our units to remain vigilant and responsive against those who violate the law,” Babagay said. /das