GenSan cops arrest Chinese man, seize smuggled cigarettes
Peace and Order • 21:00 PM Tue Jul 7, 2020
1
By:
Edwin O. Fernandez
Photos courtesy of PNP-12
KORONADAL CITY – Police authorities in Gen. Santos City arrested a Chinese national and seized from him P8.9 million worth smuggled cigarettes Monday night.
Lieutenant Colonel Lino Capellan, speaking for police in the Soccsksargen region, said 271 boxes of Gudang Baru and Mighty brands of cigarettes, four sachets of suspected shabu were taken from the house rented by Zai Tian Shi at Oringo Subdivision, Barangay City Heights, Gen. Santos City.
Capellan said an undercover police agent managed to buy at about 9 p.m. five reams of Gudang Baru cigarettes for P3,000.
After the Chinese man received the money, he was arrested by the buyer’s companions. He did not resist arrest, Capellan said.
The police also seized P513,400 cash from the Chinese.
He is now under the custody of GenSan Police Office while charges for violation for RA 10863 (An Act Modernizing the Custom and Tariff Administration), Violation of RA 8293 (Intellectual Property Rights), Section 76 of the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Law (RA 10963) and Section 11 of RA 9165 are being prepared against him.
Brig. Gen. Michael John Dubria, Soccsksargen police regional director, lauded the police for the successful operation as well as the unidentified tipster who provided the law enforcers with timely and accurate information.
“It is very disappointing that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, deceitful traders did not stop from smuggling illicit items like the cigarettes that they usually sold to unsuspecting patrons,” Dubria said.