NEGROS Occidental — Authorities recovered an estimated P380,000 worth of illicit cigarettes and arrested two individuals after they allegedly attempted to evade a police checkpoint operation in Bago City early Wednesday morning.
According to the Bago City Component City Police Station, the incident occurred at around 2:45 a.m. on May 20 during a scheduled checkpoint along Rafael Salas Drive in Barangay Balingasag.
Police said personnel led by Police Captain Bonifacio C. Galvez Jr. were conducting a “Dictated Checkpoint” from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. when a white Toyota Revo bearing plate number XEZ 220 approached the area from the direction of Bacolod City.
Instead of stopping for inspection, the driver allegedly accelerated and fled after officers signaled the vehicle to pull over, prompting police to launch a hot pursuit operation.
The vehicle was eventually intercepted along the highway in Barangay Pacol, also in Bago City.
During the inspection, investigators found that the 30-year-old driver allegedly failed to present a valid driver’s license and registration documents for the vehicle. Officers also noticed several boxes inside the vehicle after the driver rolled down the window.
Further inspection revealed 23 boxes of illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of P380,000. Police said the vehicle’s occupants later admitted that the boxes contained untaxed cigarettes.
Arrested were a 30-year-old male driver and a 31-year-old female passenger, both residents of Barangay San Vicente, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.
The suspects were informed of their constitutional rights and were taken, along with the confiscated cigarettes and vehicle, to the police station for documentation and proper disposition.
Authorities are now conducting a deeper investigation to determine the source and intended destination of the contraband products and to establish possible violations of tax and customs laws.
The case is being handled by Police Staff Sergeant Kim Iver S. Cornel./PN
