Bago checkpoint yields PHP 14.6 million smuggled cigarettes

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — A police checkpoint led authorities to a storage compound in Barangay Malingin, Bago City, Negros Occidental, where they seized an estimated PHP 14.6 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes Thursday.

The operation came a day after authorities intercepted PHP 15 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes at a port in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.

The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) said officers set up the checkpoint after receiving reports that untaxed cigarettes were being transported for distribution in Bago City.

Officers flagged down a white Isuzu aluminum-bodied van whose driver, identified only as “Kev,” 32, of Zamboanga City, voluntarily opened the vehicle’s cargo compartment.

The cargo initially appeared to consist of bundled laundry, but officers spotted reams of Concept cigarettes concealed underneath.

During questioning, the driver told authorities that the shipment had been loaded at a compound in Purok Narra, Barangay Malingin.

Police conducted surveillance on the property, but two unidentified men fled by jumping over the perimeter fence as authorities approached.

With the assistance of barangay officials, officers entered the compound and discovered about 255 boxes of suspected illicit cigarettes stored in a room.

Police Lt. Col. James Latayon, chief of the Bago City Police Station, said the two men who escaped may initially face charges of disobedience to a person in authority while investigators determine what other cases could be filed against them and the property owner.

Latayon said the latest seizure was unrelated to the recent Dumaguete operation or an April 2026 raid on an alleged illegal cigarette manufacturing and distribution network in Bago City.

The April operation resulted in the arrest of 10 Chinese nationals and four Filipinos and the recovery of about PHP 800 million worth of equipment, raw materials, and packaging supplies from warehouses in Bacolod and Bago cities.

Latayon said the cigarettes seized in the latest operation were reportedly sourced from Mindanao and transported aboard a cargo vessel.

The driver was expected to be released after cooperating with investigators.

Police Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño, acting regional director of PRO-NIR, commended the operating units and said the operation underscored the importance of intelligence-driven policing and coordination in combating cigarette smuggling.

“Every illicit shipment intercepted is a significant step in protecting government revenues, preserving fair trade, and denying criminal organizations the opportunity to profit from illegal activities,” Cardiño said in a statement.

Under Republic Act No. 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, smuggled tobacco includes products that do not comply with government import requirements, including advance payment of excise taxes and the affixing of required tax stamps or markings.