• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Operatives of the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) seized an estimated P25 million worth of illicit cigarettes and arrested a truck driver during an intelligence-led operation in Barangay To-oy, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, yesterday.
Police identified the arrested suspect as alias ‘Geo,’ 43, a resident of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental.
The operation was carried out by the Regional Intelligence Division in coordination with the Negros Occidental Provincial Intelligence Unit, Himamaylan City Police, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Authorities acted on a report from a confidential informant regarding a ten-wheeler wing van suspected of unloading contraband.
They reportedly caught an individual in the act of unloading master cases of cigarettes, leading to the interception of the vehicle.
Recovered from the scene were approximately 500 master cases of cigarettes.
Reports said the products bore unauthorized tax seals and lacked the required graphic health warnings, violating existing trade and tax laws.
Regional Director Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay credited the success of the operation to strong intelligence-driven policing and coordination with partner agencies.
The suspect is currently in the custody of the Regional Intelligence Division for legal disposition, while the seized items have been documented and inventoried for evidence.*
