BACOLOD City — Operatives of the Police Regional Office – Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) seized P787,500 worth of alleged illicit cigarettes during a mobile patrol operation in Purok Margarita, Barangay Balintawak, Escalante City, Negros Occidental on February 16.
According to police reports, at around 9:02 p.m., mobile patrol and intelligence personnel of the Escalante City Police Station under the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office were conducting a routine patrol when they spotted a man unloading boxes of cigarettes into a white utility vehicle.
When one of the operatives approached to verify the activity, the suspect — identified only by the alias “Sap,” a male of legal age and a resident of the area — allegedly fled the scene.
Authorities immediately launched a pursuit operation but failed to apprehend the suspect, who remained at large as of this writing.
Recovered from the scene were five master cases of Gold City cigarettes (50 rims per case), 15 master cases of Cannon cigarettes (50 rims per case), 10 master cases of Thunder cigarettes (50 rims per case), and five master cases of Casablanca cigarettes (50 rims per case). Police also impounded the utility vehicle believed to have been used in the illegal activity.
PRO-NIR said the operation was part of its intensified campaign against smuggling and illegal trade in violation of Republic Act (RA) 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act; RA 10643, or the Graphic Health Warnings Law; and RA 8424, or the Tax Reform Act of 1997.
The regional police office reiterated its commitment to curb the proliferation of illicit products, protect public health, and safeguard government revenues through sustained law enforcement operations./PN
