HPG seizes P768K smuggled cigarettes

Highway patrol officers impounded a sport utility vehicle and confiscated 480 reams of contraband cigarettes valued at P768,000 during a traffic stop along a highway in Misamis Oriental, police announced Friday.

The Highway Patrol Group reported that joint teams from the Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental provincial units intercepted a Toyota Fortuner in Barangay Taboc.

PNP Highway Patrol Group acting director Brig. Gen. Joyce Patrick Sangalang said officers flagged down the vehicle for reckless driving, disregarding traffic personnel, and failing to present required registration documents.

During the stop, officers spotted several large plastic bags inside the vehicle’s interior. Upon obtaining consent to inspect the cargo, personnel discovered 10 plastic bags packed with untaxed cigarettes bearing the “D&J” brand name.

The driver was unable to produce bill of lading forms, customs clearances, or proof of tax payment for the cargo.

Officers impounded the vehicle and transported the contraband to the Cagayan de Oro Highway Patrol facility for inventory, formal documentation and forensic verification.

An inventory conducted alongside local barangay officials confirmed the seizure of the 480 reams.

Sangalang confirmed that police are coordinating with the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue to determine applicable tax evasion and smuggling charges, as well as the final disposition of the confiscated goods.