PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — Authorities seized 54 boxes and one sack of smuggled cigarettes worth P944,000 from a van intercepted at a checkpoint in Barangay Sicsican at noon on 15 April.
According to the Puerto Princesa City Police Office (PPCPO) Station 2, personnel from the Puerto Princesa Central Land Transport Terminal (PPLTT) initially flagged down a white van at a checkpoint in Barangay Irawan. The driver allegedly refused to stop and sped away.
PPLTT personnel immediately gave chase and reported the incident to PPCPO Station 2, which then alerted the Sicsican Police Community Precinct. The van was successfully intercepted at a checkpoint set up in Barangay Sicsican.
Upon inspection, authorities found the van loaded with smuggled cigarettes. The driver failed to present proper documentation and was arrested on the spot.
He will face charges for violating Republic Act No. 10643, or the "Graphic Health Warnings Law." The suspect remains in police custody, along with the seized contraband and the vehicle used in the transport.