A closed van containing 200 boxes of cigarettes, all worth P20 million, and reportedly from Negros Oriental, was intercepted in a joint checkpoint operation in Barangay Poblacion, Santander, Cebu, at around 11 p.m. Jan. 10, the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas said last night.
The driver and his helper/loader, both of legal age and residents of Negros Oriental, failed to present any legal document authorizing the transport of the tobacco products.
They were arrested for violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, or Republic Act 10863, and Section 263 of the National Internal Revenue Code, and brought to the Regional Special Projects Unit 7 (RSPU7) Office, together with the van and cigarettes, for proper disposition and the filing of appropriate charges.
Per verification, the cigarette brand “Oris” is not included in the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s latest list of registered tobacco products authorized for sale in the Philippines, rendering the shipment illegal, the police said.
“This operation shows the strength of intelligence-driven policing and inter-agency coordination,” P/BGen Redrico Maranan, PRO7 director, said in a statement. “PRO7 will continue to block smuggling routes, protect government revenue, and hold violators accountable.”
The operation was jointly conducted by personnel of the Santander Municipal Police Station, Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Cebu Police Provincial Office, 703rd Regional Mobile Force Battalion 7, and the RSPU7, in close coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Customs, and the BIR. ||
