Nearly P300,000 Worth of Undocumented Cigarettes Seized at Dalton Pass Checkpoint

Police seized an estimated P295,000 worth of cigarettes without supporting documents at a border checkpoint along Maharlika Highway in Barangay Tactac at about 5 a.m. on 5 November 2026.

The suspect, identified as alias “Jerico,” 29, an unemployed resident of Talavera, Nueva Ecija, was arrested after police stopped his northbound Mitsubishi Montero Sport.

According to the police report, personnel from the 205th Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 2 were conducting a checkpoint operation when they noticed that the vehicle’s rear seats had been folded down.

During a visual inspection, officers spotted several boxes of cigarettes inside the vehicle. The driver failed to present documents proving their legal ownership and transport, prompting his arrest.

An inventory found 493 reams of assorted cigarette brands packed in 10 boxes. The suspect and the confiscated products were brought to Santa Fe Police Station for investigation, documentation and proper case disposition over a possible violation of the National Internal Revenue Code.

PRO 2 Regional Director PBGen Mariano C. Rodriguez commended the police personnel for their prompt action.

“The success of this operation demonstrates our firm enforcement of the law, particularly through strengthened checkpoints, crime prevention and protecting communities from illegal trade,” Rodriguez said.

He added that PRO 2 would further intensify intelligence-driven operations and checkpoint activities to curb the entry and movement of illegal products across the region.