Authorities seized approximately P25 million worth of illegal cigarettes and arrested a truck driver in Barangay To-oy, Himamaylan City, at 5:20 am on Monday, April 13.
The arrested individual was alias “Geo,” 43, a married truck driver and resident of Barangay Masulog, Canlaon City, Negros Oriental.
Police reported that the operation was based on a tip from a confidential informant about the unloading of suspected smuggled cigarettes from a 10-wheeler wing van in the area.
Operatives monitored the area and caught the suspect in the act of unloading boxes of contraband cigarettes, leading to the immediate interception of the vehicle.
Authorities recovered around 500 master cases of cigarettes found to have unauthorized tax stamps and no graphic health warning labels, in violation of existing laws.
The operation was led by the Regional Intelligence Division of the Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), in cooperation with the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, Himamaylan City Police Station, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
PRO-NIR Regional Director PBGen. Arnold Thomas C. Ibay praised the participating units, saying the successful operation underscores the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and agency collaboration.
He emphasized that efforts against smuggling and illegal trade will be intensified, warning that offenders will face swift law enforcement actions across the Negros Island Region (NIR).*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.