PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — Authorities seized 54 boxes and one sack of smuggled cigarettes worth P944,000 from a van intercepted at a checkpoint in Barangay Sicsican in this city Tuesday noon.
The Puerto Princesa City Police Office Station 2 said personnel from the Puerto Princesa Central Land Transport Terminal (PPLTT) flagged down a white van at their checkpoint in Barangay Irawan. However, the driver allegedly refused to stop and sped away.
PPLTT personnel immediately pursued the van and reported the incident to PPCPO Police Station 2, which then alerted the Sicsican Police Community Precinct. The van was eventually intercepted at a checkpoint set up in Sicsican.
Upon inspection, authorities discovered the van was carrying smuggled cigarettes, and the driver failed to present any proper documentation.
The driver, whose name was not disclosed, was arrested and will face charges for violating Republic Act 10643 or the Graphic Health Warnings Law.
The suspect remains in police custody, along with the confiscated contraband and the van used to transport it.