COTABATO CITY – Policemen seized P11.5 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in separate operations in Sultan Kudarat and Lanao del Sur last week with the help of members of two Moro fronts.
Brig. Gen. Arnold P. Ardiente, director of Police Regional Office-12, said on Monday it was due to a tip from members of the Moro National Liberation Front that policemen searched a house in Sultan Kudarat in Barangay Kraan, Palembang, where they found large boxes filled with P7.8 million worth of cigarettes from Indonesia.
Municipal officials in the seaside town of Palembang said the Indonesian-made cigarettes were ready for delivery to buyers in various towns in Sultan Kudarat, one of four provinces in Region 12.
The seized cigarettes in sealed boxes will be handed over to the Bureau of Customs for their proper disposal.
This was followed by the seizure of P3.7 million worth of Indonesian-made cigarettes in a light truck that was stopped at Barangay Ilian in Picong, Lanao del Sur.
The small truck was headed for the nearby towns of Malabang and Kapatagan in Lanao del Sur, according to local officials and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which supported the anti-trafficking operation that led to the seizure of its illegal cargo. , John Felix M. Anson
