Mindanaotoday.com | P750k of smuggled cigarettes seized in Cagayan de Oro
By: Franck Dick Rosete
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The police operatives have confiscated a total of P750,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes during an intel-driven police operation at Zone 3, Barangay Bulua, this city, Wednesday, February 1.
In a report from the Police Regional Office of Northern Mindanao (PRO-10), the suspect was identified as Vhan Maddun Tammany, who remains at-large after he managed to elude the arrest.
The Regional Special Operations Unit (RSOU) 10 received an information pertaining to the said suspect selling assorted brands of smuggled cigarettes, prompting the RSOU-10 together with the other agency and police units to conduct a buy-bust operation.
“However, the suspect managed to elude arrest after becoming aware of the presence of law enforcement units when the undercover officer issued the pre-arranged signal,” the police report said.
During the operation, the undercover officer positively bought smuggled cigarettes to the suspect only worth for P4,000, said Maj. Joann Navarro, PRO-10 spokesperson, in a phone interview on Thursday, February 2.
The bulk of smuggled cigarettes were later being discovered inside of an area nearby of the said place after the suspect went in when he was being chased by the authorities.
“Sa iyang lugar, naay balay. Ang likod dayon anaa nay room something. Murag dinha nipaingon ug dira ra pud ni-exit. (In his [suspect] place, there’s a house. And behind that, there’s a room something. [The suspect] went there and exited),” Navarro said.
As of this writing, the police investigation is ongoing to obtain further details of Tammany and to determine if the said area is owned or rented by the suspect.
Among the confiscated smuggled products were 2M-Black Menthol, 2M-Red Blend, San Diego, Berlin, and Fort with a total cigarette of 52 Master Cases, three reams and seven packs, which were being turned over to the Regional Investigation Division of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Revenue Region No. 16.
A case for violation of the Republic Act No. 11346 under Section 263 will be filed against the at-large suspect.
Brig. Gen. Lawrence Coop, PRO-10 regional director, in a statement, stressed that the regional operatives are now conducting a follow-up operation to locate the whereabout of the suspect.
“We will not stop until we arrested the suspect. He has done something illegal and we do not tolerate any kind of act that is unlawful,” Coop said.
The regional director businesspeople to always secure the necessary documents in order to be not liable to the law, as selling smuggled cigarettes or any smuggled products are strictly prohibited. (MT)
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