P2.8M smuggled cigarettes seized in Sulu, P510K in Kidapawan

Seaborne policemen in Sulu seized P2.8 million worth of smuggled Indonesian cigarettes on Friday, March 7, while plainclothes policemen in Kidapawan City confiscated P510,000 worth of imported cigarettes from a dealer late Saturday, March 8.

Villagers reported seeing seafaring smugglers unloading large boxes of cigarettes in Sitio Subah, Barangay Buansa, prompting an operation by the Sulu Maritime Police Station and PRO-BAR units, while Castillano was arrested after selling illegal merchandise to undercover officers in Barangay Lanao.

When police approached the site in Sulu, the smugglers fled, leaving behind 50 boxes of contraband cigarettes, whereas the seizure in Kidapawan included 13 boxes from Indonesia.

Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, confirmed the Sulu seizure on Sunday, March 9, while Col. Gilberto Tuzon, Cotabato provincial police director, said Castillano is now detained and awaiting prosecution in Kidapawan.

Local officials estimated the value of the confiscated cigarettes at P2.8 million in Sulu, with the seized goods to be turned over to the Bureau of Customs for further disposition.