• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Personnel of the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) seized suspected smuggled cigarettes worth P25 million from an abandoned panel van in Basay City, Negros Oriental on Saturday.
In a report, the Regional Highway Patrol Unit-Negros Island Region (RPHU-NIR) said they responded to the information that four panel vans have been left by the drivers in Purok 6, Barangay Nagbola-ao.
Initial investigation showed that only one of the vehicles was loaded with large boxes of various brands of smuggled cigarettes, among these Victor Agila American Blend cigarettes.
PLt. Edwin Santos, RHPU-NIR intelligence chief, said in a radio interview that about 500 large boxes of cigarettes were found inside the abandoned van.
Each box contained cigarettes valued at P50,000, based on estimates of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), he added.
The seized Hino panel van with plate number JAA2009 and its load of suspected smuggled cigarettes is now under the custody of the RPHU-NIR at Camp Alfredo M. Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City.
Before the operation, the PNP-HPG coordinated with the BIR, which issued a mission order for them to conduct the operation against violators of Republic Act 12022 or the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act.
On Oct. 4, police also seized more than P11 million worth of smuggled cigarettes loaded in Fuso panel van in Barangay Talaban, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.
In previous months, operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group also confiscated about P4.7 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes during a buy-bust operation in Barangay 2, also in Himamaylan City. | GB
