Smuggled cigarettes and two vans valued at P15,315,000 were seized in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, the Bacolod City Maritime Police Station (Bacolod City MARPSTA) reported on Monday, May 19.
Operatives of the Bacolod City Maritime Police Station led by PCapt. Reynaldo Bauden Jr., with Intellectual Property (IP) Office – Manila and Bureau of Customs VI personnel, conducted an anti- smuggling operation in response to a tip on the presence of illegal cigarettes at the shoreline of Sitio Bagambang in Brgy Tiling, Cauayan.
This resulted in the arrest of two suspects identified only as alias “Jun-Jun” and alias “Mar”, who were caught in possession of the smuggled cigarettes in violation of RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, the Bacolod City MARPSTA reported on its Facebook page.
Seized were Dunston, Fort, Casablanca, and Champion cigarettes and two panel vans.
The confiscated cigarettes were valued at P12,815,000, and the seized vehicles – P2,500,000 for a total of P15,315,000, the Bacolod City MARPSTA reported.*