ZAMBOANGA CITY -Lawmen have seized a total of PHP4.93 million worth of smuggled cigarettes and arrested seven people in two separate anti-smuggling campaigns in the Zamboanga Peninsula during the week, a top police official said Saturday. Brig. Gen. Franco Simborio, Police Regional Office 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) director, said the bulk of the smuggled cigarettes were seized in an intelligence-driven anti-smuggling operation in Barangay Cabatangan, this city at about 8:10 a.m. on Tuesday. Simborio said the smuggled cigarettes, worth PHP4.23 million and loaded in a closed van covered with packs of assorted puffed corn snacks, were seized by operatives of the police, military, and Bureau of Customs (BOC). Three people were arrested. They were identified as Khan Jawari Adin, 24, the van driver, and two spotters aboard a motorcycle - Aldin Sabtal, 30, and Bensharif Bari, 32. He said the confiscated smuggled cigarettes were supposed to be delivered to a warehouse in Barangay Divisoria here.
A suspected Abu Sayyaf bomb expert was killed in an encounter that resulted in the recovery of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Isabela, Basilan on Friday.
Tabina, Zamboanga del Sur ZAMBOANGA CITY - Gunmen divested a town councilor seeking re-election and one of his supporters of cash and valuables right at the official's residential compound in Zamboanga del Sur, the police disclosed Saturday. Brig. Gen. Franco Simborio, Police Regional Office 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) director, identified the victim as Councilor Alex Aldie Amores, 51, of Tabina town and his supporter, Jeffrey Elisino, 35. The incident happened in Purok Arbor, Barangay Malim at about 10:20 a.m. Friday. Simborio said at the time of the incident, political leaders and supporters of Team Dayondon-Poloyapoy were gathering for a meeting when two pick-up trucks arrived and parked in front of Amores' house. The team is led by incumbent Tabina Mayor Tirsendo Poloyapoy and Vice Mayor Greg Dayondon. Simborio said the seven still-unidentified gunmen got out of the two vehicles, barged into Amores' compound, and demanded everyone to drop while firing their guns into the ai
ZAMBOANGA CITY - A shipment of PHP596,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes was again confiscated in Zamboanga del Norte on Friday, bringing to PHP3.9 million the worth of contraband seized by authorities this week. In a report, Police Regional Office (PRO) 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) Director, Brig. Gen. Franco Simborio, said the shipment was seized along the national highway in Barangay Poblacion, Sindangan town of the province at about 3:50 a.m. Simborio said they arrested the truck driver Basar Hassan, 46, and truckman Appay Sangkahan, 40, residents of barangays Talon-Talon and Mampang in this city, respectively. He said Sindangan policemen were implementing the election gun ban at a checkpoint when they flagged down the Isuzu Elf truck driven by Hassan. Policemen noticed the two acting suspiciously, prompting them to inspect the cargo of the truck that turned out to be smuggled cigarettes covered with plastic containers. Simborio said the two failed to present documents of their cargo, whi