ABANDONED CONTRABAND. Police officers inspect some 300 master cases of assorted smuggled cigarettes worth P3.1 million on Sunday (Sept. 4, 2022) in an open warehouse at the port in Barangay Buansa, Indanan town, Sulu province. No one was arrested as the owner of the contraband abandoned the cargo upon sensing the arrival of the policemen. (Photo courtesy of Area Police Command-Western Mindanao) ZAMBOANGA CITY - Authorities have arrested four persons and seized some PHP3.2 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in two separate anti-smuggling operations in Sulu and this city, a top police official said Monday. Col. Richard Verceles, operations chief of the Area Police Command-Western Mindanao, said no one was arrested on the first confiscation of smuggled cigarettes around 5:15 p.m. Sunday at the port in Barangay Buansa in Indanan town, Sulu province. Verceles said policemen from Indanan Municipal Police Station rushed to the port in Barangay Buansa upon receiving information on the presence of smuggled cigarettes. "The cigarettes were left unattended outside an open warehouse. It is believed that the cigarettes were about to be transported anytime by its owner," Verceles said in a statement. He said the Indanan police seized 300 master cases of assorted cigarettes worth PHP3,091,000. Meanwhile, Verceles said Benhar Jammang, Amil Del Rosario, Faisal Awad, and Mohammad Datag were arrested around 1:30 a.m. Monday in Barangay Kasanyangan here. Zamboanga City Police Office's (ZCPO) Station 6 personnel were on patrol when they intercepted the four suspects aboard two motorcycles, bringing with them four master cases of cigarettes. No one among the four suspects was able to present documents on their respective cargoes worth PHP140,000. (PNA) }