By CESAR JOLITO III

Authorities recovered an estimated P100,000 worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes that were found abandoned at Barangay Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental’s Pontevedra town yesterday.

Police said the discovery was made at around 11:00 p.m. after a confidential informant tipped off authorities about plastic bags containing cigarette reams left in Hacienda Casal-agan Dako.

Responding personnel immediately proceeded to the location to verify the report.

Upon inspection, officers seized a total of about 130 reams of cigarettes.

These included three plastic bags containing 40 reams of Canon Menthol cigarettes, one sack with 40 reams of Tradition brand cigarettes, and a master case holding another 50 reams of the same brand.

The items were documented on site in the presence of the barangay chairman before being transported to the Pontevedra Municipal Police Station for proper inventory and safekeeping.

No suspects were apprehended, as the cigarettes had already been abandoned when authorities arrived.

Police said the seized items have been referred to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for further investigation and proper disposition.

The incident adds to a growing number of cigarette smuggling cases recorded in Negros Occidental this year.

On November 27, around 100 boxes of assorted smuggled cigarettes were intercepted at Old Pantalan in Sipalay City’s Barangay Cartagena, in an operation where the Philippine Coast Guard suspected the shipment originated from Mindanao.

On October 3, a joint operation by the Negros Island Region Maritime Unit and the Himamaylan City Police Station led to the seizure of smuggled cigarettes valued at approximately P11.12 million in Barangay Talaban./CJ, WDJ