ANTIQUE – Authorities seized around P57 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during a checkpoint operation in Barangay Poblacion, Belison town, around 3:55 a.m. on September 20.
The anti-smuggling operation was spearheaded by the 1st Antique Provincial Mobile Force Company (1st APMFC) under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Conrado Rances III, with the support of the Antique Provincial Intelligence Unit, Regional Special Operations Group, Belison Municipal Police Station, and the BIR Antique District Office headed by Assistant Revenue District Officer Asnawie M. Mamongcara.
They flagged down three closed vans and found 1,142 boxes or 576,020 packs of assorted illicit cigarettes bearing various brands as follows:
* BOSQU (red) – 396 boxes (52 reams or 198,520 packs)
* FORT (green) – 126 boxes (204 reams or 65,040 packs)
* Cannon Menthol (green) – 165 boxes (245 reams or 84,950 packs)
* New Mega (green) – 100 boxes (50,000 packs)
* New Mega (red) – 50 boxes (25,000 packs)
* Delta Regular (red) – 100 boxes (50,010 packs)
* Thunder (green) – 205 boxes (102,500 packs)
The seized contraband has an estimated worth of P28,575,000 and a street value of P57,150,000, with an estimated tax loss of P34,561,200 to the government, authorities added.
Seven suspects were also arrested: truck drivers identified as aliases “Ray,” 38, “Joe,” 42, and “Mike,” 40, all residents of Isabela, Negros Occidental; and helpers aliases “Kael,” 33, and “Joe,” 24, of Isabela, Negros Occidental, “Nathan,” 50, of Zamboanga Sibugay, and “Lablab,” 22, of Bacolod City.
The operation was the result of a three-day surveillance following a tip from a confidential informant regarding the transport of illicit cigarettes in the province.
Authorities said the smuggled cigarettes originated from Zamboanga City and were intended to be distributed in Iloilo and Negros Occidental.
As of this writing, the suspects were detained at the Belison Municipal Police Station while the confiscated items were placed under the custody of the BIR for proper disposition.
Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director Brigadier General Josefino Ligan lauded the swift coordination among law enforcement and revenue authorities.
“This successful operation demonstrates our firm commitment to protecting government revenue and dismantling smuggling networks that undermine our economy. PRO-6, in partnership with the BIR, will continue to intensify anti-smuggling operations across Western Visayas to safeguard our communities and ensure that those involved in illicit trade are held accountable,” Ligan said./PN
