Policemen intercepted P787,500 worth of illicit cigarettes during a mobile patrol operation in Purok Margarita, Barangay Balintawak, Escalante City, Negros Occidental, Feb. 16.
Mobile patrollers and intelligence operatives of the Escalante City Police Station were conducting routine mobile patrol when they saw an individual unloading boxes of cigarettes into a polar white utility vehicle at around 9:02 p.m. Monday.
As one of the operatives approached, the suspect, later identified as alias “Sap”, of legal age, male, and a resident of Purok Gardenia in the barangay, fled the scene, the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) said Feb. 17.
The suspect evaded capture, while police operatives recovered several rims of cigarettes of varied brands, the PRO-NIR added.
The cigarettes and vehicle were transported to the Escalante Police for documentation. ||
