Smuggled cigarettes worth P2.5M seized in Zamboanga Sibugay

The van containing smuggled cigarettes was hidden among the bushes in a village in Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay. It was seized by authorities. Photo courtesy of Tungawan Mayor Carlnan Climaco

PAGADIAN CITY –– Authorities in Zamboanga Sibugay province apprehended a vehicle loaded with P2.5M worth of smuggled cigarettes Thursday afternoon in Barangay San Vicente, Tungawan town.

Captain Wabelin Tarroza said that at first, they received a report of individuals loading contraband cigarettes into a mini-van at the port of San Vicente.

When verified, the operatives failed to catch up on the loading operation.

The van containing smuggled cigarettes was hidden among the bushes in a village in Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay. It was seized by authorities. Photo courtesy of Tungawan Mayor Carlnan Climaco

Tarroza said that along with members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the military, they continued the operation to locate the reported vehicle.

They eventually found it in a bushy area at Purok Panagatan of the same Barangay and arrested a laborer identified as Abdurasman Usman, a resident of Andalan Omar, Sulu.

The van was registered under Salam Addah of Barangay Mampang, Zamboanga City. It was loaded with 123 boxes of cigarettes with 50 reams per box.

The police added that the vehicle’s driver, identified as Hussein Aukasa, remained at large.

The investigation has continued to identify the operator and other individuals behind the smuggling of cigarettes.

Edited by LZB