Law enforcement agencies in Mindanao have scored major victories against smuggling syndicates, arresting two individuals and confiscating contraband cigarettes with a total estimated value of P106.56 million in two separate operations this week.
Midnight Arrest in Sarangani Yields Contraband
In the early hours of Friday, January 9, 2025, police operatives in the Soccsksargen region intercepted a significant shipment. According to Police Brigadier General Arnold Ardiente, the regional director, a checkpoint operation along the national highway in Gumasa village, Glan, Sarangani province led to the arrest of two suspects.
The individuals, identified by their aliases as Oden, 54, and Jacker, were flagged down for a routine vehicle inspection around 12:30 a.m. Authorities immediately noticed numerous reams of cigarettes in plain view inside plastic sacks. The suspects were taken into custody after failing to present any pertinent documents for the goods.
Seized from their possession were 420 reams of imported cigarettes with an estimated value of P330,036. The suspects and the confiscated items were brought to the Glan Municipal Police Station for documentation and proper legal disposition.
Massive Warehouse Raid in Maguindanao del Norte
In a larger, coordinated operation days earlier, police and agents from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) uncovered a massive stash of smuggled cigarettes. The raid took place on Tuesday, January 6, 2025, at a warehouse in Gumagadong Calawag, Parang, Maguindanao del Norte, part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Police Brigadier General Jaysen De Guzman, director of the Police Regional Office-BARMM, stated that the inspection was conducted under a Letter of Authority from the BOC. Inside the warehouse, operatives found 2,483 master cases of smuggled cigarettes with an astounding estimated value of P106.23 million.
Ongoing Investigations and Legal Actions
The warehouse seizure represents a major economic sabotage case. General De Guzman confirmed that the confiscation was made for violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and the Anti-Agricultural and Economic Sabotage Act.
All recovered items from the Parang operation were inventoried on-site and subsequently turned over to the Bureau of Customs. The BOC will handle the proper documentation, case build-up, and lawful disposition of the goods. Further investigation is ongoing to identify and prosecute the personalities behind the warehoused smuggled cigarettes.
These twin operations highlight the continued vigilance of Philippine authorities in combating smuggling, which deprives the government of rightful revenues and undermines legal trade and commerce in regions like Soccsksargen and BARMM.
