• THERESA MAE DULMAN
A total of P787,500 worth of smuggled cigarettes were intercepted by the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) during a mobile patrol operation in Escalante City, Negros Occidental, on Monday night, February 16.
Authorities identified the suspect as alias ‘Sap,’ a resident of Purok Gardenia, who remains at large after fleeing the scene at Purok Margarita, Barangay Balintawak, Escalante City.
A total of 35 master cases containing various brands of cigarettes, including 15 cases of Cannon, 10 cases of Thunder, five cases of Gold City, and five cases of Casablanca, with each master case containing 50 rims of cigarettes were recovered, along with a white utility vehicle.
Operatives from the Escalante City Component Police Station and the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office reported that they observed the suspect unloading boxes of cigarettes from a white utility vehicle at around 9 p.m.
When the operatives approached, the suspect fled the scene and was able to evade capture.
The confiscated goods and the vehicle were transported to the Escalante CCPS for official documentation.
Authorities are currently preparing charges against the suspect for violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, the Graphic Health Warnings Law, and the Tax Reform Act of 1997.*
