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ZAMBOANGA CITY — Authorities have arrested three persons and seized about P36.7 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in this city, police reported Saturday.
Col. Fidel Fortaleza Jr., city police director, identified the arrested individuals only as Eding, 54, of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi; Alwijar, 33, of Panamao, Sulu; and Basar, 35, also of Panamao.
The suspects were arrested along with the contraband at a private wharf in Barangay Campo Islam at 9:50 a.m. on Friday.
Before the arrest and confiscation, local police received information from an informant indicating that a motorboat would dock at the private wharf to unload a variety of smuggled cigarettes.
"Our operatives saw that assorted master cases of cigarettes were being unloaded from the motorboat, ML J-Minda, when they arrived at the private wharf," Fortaleza said in his report, adding that confiscated were 642 master cases of assorted brands of cigarettes.
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After proper inventory, the smuggled cigarettes were turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition.
Meanwhile, authorities also arrested on Thursday three persons, including a police officer based in Zamboanga del Sur, and confiscated from them about P390,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes.
The police said the suspects were apprehended after a chase in Barangay Tipan, Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental, at about 5:30 a.m.
Reports said the police officer arrested in the cigarette trafficking case is assigned as officer in charge in one of the towns in Zamboanga del Sur.
His two companions hail from Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur and Clarin in Misamis Occidental.
The three suspects and the confiscated contraband were placed under the custody of the Misamis Occidental Maritime Police Station for disposition.
