Law enforcement authorities arrested two individuals and confiscated approximately P1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during an early Monday operation in Lanao del Norte, a senior police official reported.
Police Colonel Leo de Leon Sua, director of the Lanao del Norte Police Provincial Office, identified the suspects as a 53-year-old driver and a 21-year-old truckman, both residents of Santiago village, Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.
The arrests occurred around 7:15 a.m. on Monday, June 15, 2026, along the highway in Samburon village, Linamon, Lanao del Norte. Sua explained that police were conducting a checkpoint operation when they flagged down a dropside truck for routine inspection.
During the check, the driver was found not wearing a seat belt and was issued a citation ticket. A subsequent inspection of the vehicle revealed a large quantity of alleged smuggled cigarettes. When asked to present supporting documents for the cargo, the driver failed to provide any valid documentation, Sua added.
Seized were 1,250 reams of Indonesian and Malaysian-made cigarettes with an estimated market value of P1 million. The driver and truckman were brought to the Linamon Municipal Police Station for documentation and disposition. The confiscated vehicle and cigarettes are under the custody of the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company of Lanao del Norte Police Provincial Office, pending turnover to the Bureau of Customs for appropriate action.
Sua commended the operating units for their vigilance and coordination that led to the successful interception of the contraband.
