INTERCEPTED. Marine troopers working under Joint Task Force Central took into custody the Toyota commuter van containing some PHP150,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes on Monday (May 24, 2021) afternoon. The contraband (inset) and the van driver are now withheld at the Malabang police station. (Photo courtesy of 6ID)
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – Marine soldiers manning a checkpoint seized some PHP150,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes in Malabang, Lanao del Sur, a top military official reported here Tuesday.
Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID) commander and concurrent chief of the Joint Task Force Central, said the contraband, placed inside ten boxes, was confiscated by the 5th Marine Company of the 1st Marine Brigade (1MBde) in Malabang town.
Quoting a report from Brig. Gen. Jonas Lumawag, the 1MBde commander, Uy said the smuggled items were intercepted at the Narciso Ramos Highway in Barangay Bacayawan around 1 p.m. Monday.
“The troopers flagged down one Toyota white commuter van with plate number DAG 5316 driven by Asnawe Cabugatan Barua, 31, of Barangay Banday, Malabang, which contained 10 large boxes of smuggled cigarettes,” Uy said.
When intercepted, the driver said the contraband was set for delivery to Picong town in the same province.
Uy said the driver is now under the custody of the Malabang municipal police station. (PNA)
