COTABATO CITY – Authorities have foiled a cigarette smuggling attempt in Parang town, Maguindanao del Norte province, seizing over PHP18 million worth of smuggled cigarettes.
In a joint operation on Sunday, local police, Marines, and maritime police personnel discovered the contraband inside two abandoned cargo trucks in Barangay Sarmiento. The trucks contained 490 boxes of assorted smuggled cigarettes.
The discovery followed a tip from a concerned citizen regarding suspicious activity near the parked trucks. Despite an extensive search, the drivers and helpers were not found.
The confiscated items were handed over to the Bureau of Customs for further investigation.