• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Authorities confiscated an estimated P2 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during a buy-bust operation conducted at approximately 10:05 a.m. in Barangay Old Namangka, Mabinay, Negros Oriental on April 6.
The joint operation, carried out by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Mabinay Municipal Police Station, resulted in the recovery of forty master cases of suspected smuggled cigarettes.
Authorities arrested one male suspect at the scene and recovered the marked buy-bust money used in the sting.
In a statement, Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. noted that the P2 million seizure reflects the agency’s focus on intelligence-driven enforcement against illicit trade.
The suspect and the confiscated goods are currently in the custody of the CIDG Negros Occidental Provincial Field Unit for formal charges related to violations of Republic Act No. 10643 and Republic Act No. 10863.*
