P4-M worth of smuggled cigarettes seized

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) seized about P4 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in Barangay 5, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental last Thursday.

Police Major Ryan Villasario, deputy chief of San Carlos City Police Station, said that 252 cases of smuggled cigarettes were confiscated from a house.

But he is not privy to the details of the operation as the police only provided security to the BIR personnel.

Villasario said the BIR conducted surveillance after they received information about the said smuggled items.

No one was arrested as BIR personnel only served a memorandum order stating the violation of the owner.

But the BIR might file a case against the owner of the smuggled items.

Villasario said they do not know where the smuggled cigarettes came from, but he noted that these items did not undergo a process in terms of their taxes with the BIR.