AUTHORITIES have arrested two individuals and seized some P760,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes in an intelligence-driven law enforcement operation in Misamis Occidental, the police said Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The Misamis Occidental Police Provincial Office (MOPPO) identified the arrested individuals through their aliases as Rani, 22, a driver and resident of Zamboanga City, and Joel, a 52-year-old farmer and resident of Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay.
The MOPPO said the two were arrested around 5:40 a.m. Monday, August 10, in Eastern Looc village, Plaridel, Misamis Occidental.
The operatives were manning a checkpoint when they intercepted a multi-purpose vehicle found carrying 950 reams of undocumented cigarettes with an estimated value of P760,000.
Rani and Joel were arrested and the cargo confiscated after they failed to present the necessary documents for the legal importation and transport of the cigarettes.
The two arrested individuals and the confiscated contraband were brought to the Plaridel Municipal Police Station (MPS) for documentation and processing.
The confiscated cigarettes will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Ozamiz City for appropriate disposition.
The MOPPO said charges are being prepared against Rani and Joel for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. (SunStar Zamboanga)
