P256,000 Worth of Alleged Smuggled Cigarettes Seized, 4 Arrested in South Cotabato

KORONADAL CITY — Police confiscated alleged smuggled cigarettes worth some P256,000 and arrested four people, including two minors, in Tantangan, South Cotabato before dawn Wednesday. Col. Argel Ancheta, South Cotabato Police Provincial Office (SCPPO) OIC director, said the contraband aboard a red Toyota Avanza was seized at a checkpoint in Barangay New Cuyapo at around 12:20 a.m. The operation was conducted by the 2nd Maneuver Platoon of the 1st South Cotabato Provincial Mobile Force Company (SCPMFC) and the Tantangan Municipal Police Station following information that the vehicle was carrying alleged smuggled cigarettes. READ: 2 nabbed, P569,000 smuggled cigarettes seized in Camarines Norte During the inspection, a police officer spotted several reams of Cannon Menthol cigarettes hidden under the front passenger side’s floor mat. A closer inspection of the vehicle led to the discovery of more packs of cigarettes. Police seized a total of 299 reams of Cannon Menthol cigarettes with an estimated value of P255,848, based on the Bureau of Customs’ standard valuation. The vehicle’s occupants failed to present importation papers, receipts, invoices, or any documentation to prove that the cigarettes were legally purchased and transported, the SCPPO said in a report. Arrested were a 24-year-old driver, alias “Aslanie,” of Barangay Lanton, and his companion “Noroden,” 26, of Gensan Village, both in General Santos City. Two other minors, identified only by their aliases, “Reham” and “Aniya,” were found inside the vehicle. They were turned over to the Women and Children Protection Desk for proper disposition under existing laws on children. Charges for violation of Republic Act 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, are being prepared against the two adult suspects./coa