ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities arrested one suspect and seized some PHP1.9 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in an anti-smuggling operation in this southern port city, an official said Saturday.
In separate anti-drug operations this week in the Peninsula, another nine suspects were nabbed, including a high-value individual, a minor and a teenager, while PHP719,911 worth of illegal drugs were confiscated.
Col. Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City Police Office director, said Norben Sangam, 27, was arrested around 8:30 p.m. Friday in Sitio Suterville, Barangay San Jose Gusu here.
Joint police and Bureau of Customs personnel responded to an intelligence report about the presence of contraband along Azucena Drive.
They seized 55 master cases of assorted smuggled cigarettes worth PHP1.925 million.
The confiscation was the fifth in the region this week following smuggled cigarettes worth PHP5.2 million seized in Barangay Sinunuc on Sunday and PHP1.7 million seized in Barangay Kasanyangan on Wednesday.
In Zamboanga del Sur, PHP103,500 worth of smuggled cigarettes were confiscated in Labangan on Wednesday and PHP6.2 million worth in Barangay Bag-ong Upper Tudela, Josefina on Thursday.
Meanwhile, 32-year-old HVI Benzar Banda was arrested in an anti-drug operation around 3:40 a.m. Thursday in Barangay San Roque here.
Banda, a resident of Barangay Kasanyangan, yielded 50 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP340,000, a coin purse, and 95 pieces of counterfeit PHP500 used as boodle money topped with one genuine PHP500 marked money.
Brig. Gen. Neil Alinsañgan, Police Regional Office-9 director, said a minor was also arrested in a buy-bust operation around 3 p.m. Wednesday in Purok 7, Barangay Caracol, Salug, Zamboanga del Norte, carrying two kilos of dried marijuana leaves worth PHP240,000 and two marijuana plants.
The other arrested suspects were Nurfaiza Paris, 18; Prescott Bael, 28; Elmer Pejedero, 32; Roy Bantas, 39; Midzlan Ahmad, 26; Roldan Layogue, 35; and, Jerry Boy Cruz, 30, all caught with shabu. (PNA)
