COTABATO CITY — Police and soldiers in Kidapawan City intercepted on Tuesday night about P437,000 worth of imported cigarettes believed smuggled into Zamboanga City and being transported to Digos City. The truck driver and his aide were detained.
Col. Dominador L. Palgan, Kidapawan City police chief, told reporters on Wednesday that the contraband was discovered and seized at the checkpoint of the anti-terror Task Force Gensan manned by police and soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 39th Infantry Battalion.
Mr. Palgan explained that checkpoint personnel were performing security checks in line with the gun ban imposed for the village and youth elections next month, when they found the haul of 1,259 reams of Port and Greenhill brand cigarettes.
Coastal towns in Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte and remote seaside barangays in Zamboanga City are known transshipment points for cigarettes from Indonesia, brought in by seafarers from Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, both in the Bangsamoro region.
The contraband will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition. The two arrested said they were only contracted to transport the items to Digos City. — John Felix M. Unson
