SMUGGLED CIGARETTES. Authorities seize some PHP1.1 million smuggled cigarettes as they arrest one person in Barangay Old Labangan, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur Thursday (Sept. 22, 2022). The contraband was being unloaded when seized by a team of police officers and soldiers. (Photo courtesy of Area Police Command-Western Mindanao)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities nabbed a suspected smuggler man while another eluded arrest during the seizure of more than PHP1.1 million worth of contraband in Zamboanga del Sur, a top police official said Friday.
Col. Richard Verceles, Area Police Command-Western Mindanao operations chief, said Adsar Buhari, 29, was arrested in an anti-smuggling operation Thursday in Barangay Old Labangan, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur.
Buhari’s companion, Mohammad Yasser Nakan, eluded arrest.
Verceles said a team of police officers and soldiers in coordination with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Bureau of Internal Revenue went to Barangay Old Labangan after receiving information that smuggled cigarettes were being unloaded in the area.
Verceles said upon inspection, Buhari failed to present any document of the cargo while Nakan fled upon sensing the arrival of authorities.
Buhari yielded at least 34 smuggled master cases of San Marino cigarettes with a market value of PHP1,190,000. Also seized were a four-wheel vehicle, a wallet containing PHP30,000 cash, a driver’s license and identification cards.
The contraband and four-wheel vehicle were turned over to the custody of the BOC for proper disposition. (PNA)
