FILE PHOTO from Bureau of Customs
MANILA, Philippines — Authorities arrested four men and confiscated almost P3 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in Zamboanga del Sur, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said.
In a report issued Saturday evening, CIDG said its operatives, along with other Philippine National Police units and representatives from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Department of Health (DOH), conducted a police operation in Barangay Balimbingan, Labangan last June 9.
During the said operation, authorities collared and identified suspects Ronilo Corsame Japon, 25; Ricky Venturina Baria, 40; Abdulhaver Asahi Kangan, 41; and Jallen Acabo Mabuting, 22. They were caught in the act of unloading smuggled cigarettes from a truck.
Confiscated from the arrested suspects were 85 cases of cigarettes amounting to P2,975,000 loaded in two vehicles.
Police brought all suspects and seized pieces of evidence to the CIDG Zamboanga Del Sur Provincial Field Unit for documentation and proper disposition. The arrested individuals will face criminal complaints for violating Republic Act (RA) 8424, or Tax Reform Act of 1997, and RA 10643, or Health Graphic Warning Law, and undergo inquest proceedings at the province’s Prosecutor’s Office.
RELATED STORIES: