SMUGGLED CIGARETTES. Policemen separately arrest Thursday (Nov. 17, 2022) two traders for selling smuggled cigarettes in Zamboanga del Sur province. Col. Richard Verceles, operations chief of the Area Police Command-Western Mindanao, says Friday (Nov. 18) the campaign against smuggled cigarettes has been expanded to the villages. (Photo courtesy of APC-WM)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities separately arrested two traders for selling PHP373,500 worth of smuggled cigarettes in Zamboanga del Sur province, an official said Friday.
Col. Richard Verceles, operations chief of the Area Police Command-Western Mindanao, said Aian Dumat-ol, 32, and Gambai Saidali, 24, were nabbed more than an hour apart Thursday for trading illicit goods.
Dumat-ol was arrested around 5:30 p.m. in Barangay Upper Laperian, Ramon Magsaysay town with anti-smuggling operatives seizing from him PHP363,000 worth of assorted smuggled cigarettes.
On the other hand, Saidali was arrested around 4 p.m. in Barangay Mati in the town of San Miguel. He yielded assorted brands of smuggled cigarettes worth PHP10,500 and a motorcycle.
Verceles said the two traders were slapped with administrative fines.
A stiffer penalty will be imposed if they will be caught again selling smuggled cigarettes, he added.
Verceles said the campaign against smuggled cigarettes was expanded to the villages to further deny smugglers a market for their products. (PNA)
