The Zamboanga City Hall. (PNA file photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities arrested Friday a house caretaker and seized over P5.5 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in an operation here, according to the top police official.
Col. Alexander Lorenzo, city police director, said the smuggled cigarettes were seized around 8:45 a.m. while being unloaded in front of the house of Kahil Aman in Dastun Drive, Barangay Kasanyangan.
“The operatives launched the operation based on a report that smuggled cigarettes arrived in Kasanyangan,” Lorenzo said.
He identified the arrested suspect as Junimar Sahisa, 24, who allegedly yielded 58 master cases of assorted smuggled cigarettes worth over PHP5.5 million.
The confiscated contraband was turned over to the Bureau of Customs (BOC), while Sahisa was placed under the custody of the police's Regional Special Operations Group-9 for further investigation and filing of appropriate charges.
Meanwhile, the BOC is set to lead the destruction of millions of pesos worth of confiscated smuggled cigarettes in public on April 26 in this city.
The smuggled cigarettes were seized in separate anti-smuggling operations in the region.
In December last year, the BOC also led the destruction of some PHP395 million worth of confiscated smuggled cigarettes here in full public view. (PNA)
