ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police recently seized some P6.7 million worth of smuggled cigarettes and arrested one person following a dramatic chase in a village in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.
Police had to use a helicopter which guided ground forces in pursuing the getaway truck full of boxes of New Orleans cigarettes as it snaked through the village of San Roque before dusk Wednesday. The truck was eventually cornered, but two of the driver’s helpers managed to evade arrest and escaped and were being hunted by the police.
A police spokesperson, Maj. Shellamie Chang, confirmed the seizure of the cigarettes and has identified the arrested truck driver as 46-year old Edgar Estrada. She said the operation involved different police units, including the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
Chang said the contraband was turned over to the BOC, adding investigation is going on to determine the origin and owner of the 182 boxes of cigarettes. But an initial report said the truck came from the coastal village of Sinunuc, about 8.6 kilometer from San Roque.
Cigarette smuggling is rampant in Zamboanga and the contraband is widely
available in the market because of its cheap prices. Authorities have not
publicly identified a single smuggler or financiers despite numerous
apprehensions of illegal cigarettes here over the past years. Aside from
cigarettes, petroleum products from neighboring Malaysia are also being
smuggled by boats through the southern back door. (Mindanao Examiner)
No comments:
Post a Comment