MISAMIS ORIENTAL — Authorities seized an estimated P2.5 million worth of suspected copper-bearing mineral ore from an abandoned cargo van in Barangay Buru-un on Monday, following reports from vigilant local residents.

A joint operation units from Police Regional Office 10, the Iligan City Police Office, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and the local Community Environment and Natural Resources Office inspected the vehicle on 27 July after receiving reports that a blue-and-silver wing van had been parked unattended in the Timoga area for nearly two months.

Residents alerted police after noticing unidentified individuals attempting to force the vehicle open.

Operatives discovered roughly 500 sacks of suspected copper ore inside the van. No driver or owner was present at the scene, and no transport permits or legal documentation for the shipment were provided.

Representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the MGB confirmed the material as suspected copper-bearing ore with an estimated market value of P2.5 million.

The vehicle and its cargo will undergo a formal inventory before being turned over to DENR-MGB custody.

Technical experts will perform megascopic analysis on the materials to confirm their mineral composition and determine potential violations of mining and environmental regulations.

Police investigators are working to identify the vehicle’s registered owner, determine the origin of the minerals and locate those responsible for the shipment.

PRO-10 director Brig. Gen. Christopher N. Abrahano attributed the successful seizure to strong community cooperation.

“Our natural resources are vital national assets that must be protected,” Abrahano said. “This operation shows what we can achieve when communities, police, and environmental agencies act together. Every illegally transported resource must be accounted for and subjected to due process.”