Some P77.19-million worth of alleged smuggled cigarettes were seized while 14 people were arrested during an anti-cigarette smuggling operation at the coastal area of Barangay Liangan in the town of Picong, Lanao del Sur on 14 June 2026.
According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), the operation was led by the 1402nd Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 14-A, along with other police and military agencies.
The operation was conducted around 3am up to 9am after receiving information that three makeshift storages inside a vacant lot near the coastal area of Barangay Liangan are being used as drop-off and storage of large bulks of suspected smuggled cigarettes.
Upon the arrival of the operatives at the target area, they found some individuals carrying and storing master cases of cigarettes inside and around the temporary storage area. When asked for pertinent documents for the product, the individuals were unable to provide the said documents.
The operation was deemed illegal since the people inside the storage areas were unable to provide proper documents pertaining to the legality of the ownership of the cigarettes, prompting authorities to arrest these individuals.
During the inspection, operatives found a total of 1,803 master cases and 139 reams of various brands of smuggled cigarettes that include Berlin, Cannon, Fort, Modern, Bosqu, Greenhills, Mighty, and Astro cigarettes.
The said contrabands are estimated to have a total value of P77,197,095.00.
Aside from these, the authorities recovered a Caliber 7.62 M14 H&R Arms rifle with serial number 905946 from a watchtower found in one of the makeshift storages.
Meanwhile, four of the suspects managed to escape and are currently being chased by authorities, while five minors were discovered and currently being processed for turnover at the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.
The pieces of evidence were turned over to the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company in Malabang, Lanao del Sur for proper inventory and documentation. The arrested suspected are currently undergoing booking procedures and documentation.
