The Highway Patrol Group (HPG) in Negros Oriental has identified persons of interest in the smuggling of cigarettes from Mindanao to Basay, Negros Oriental, an official said yesterday.

Executive Master Sergeant Aurelio Bodo, chief of the Special Operations Team for Negros Oriental, told the Philippine News Agency that the suspects are from Mindanao, “based on information collected from the vehicle” that was loaded with boxes of cigarettes found in Barangay Nagbo-alao on October 11.

Bodo said a complaint will also be filed against the owner of the vehicle, as the other three delivery vans that were at the site were found empty.

A subsequent inventory by the Bureau of Internal Revenue confirmed 574 master cases of undocumented cigarettes, pegged at P24.5 million, were loaded in the vehicle.

Each master case contained 50 reams of 10 packs each.

Bodo said the cigarettes were transported to Basay on board a motor banca (outrigger) that arrived unnoticed.

The delivery vehicles, traced through their license plates, are believed to have been empty when they arrived in the province.

Bodo said they are collaborating with the Coast Guard and maritime police to enhance coastal surveillance and stop smugglers from entering Negros Oriental. (PNA)