CABANATUAN CITY — Two men on Sunday night were arrested for alleged possession of smuggled cigarettes worth P35,000, a crude hand gun and some bullets during a sting operation in this city.
New acting provincial police director Col. Jaime Santos identified the arrested suspects as Jaime Tabayoyong, 46, of Bgy. Bernardo District; and Antonio Mendoza, 34, a tricycle driver, of Bgy. San Juan ACCFA, both of this city.
City police head Lt. Col. Barnard Danie Dasugo said the suspects were arrested while unloading two boxes of Two Moon cigarettes from a Toyota utility van being driven by Tabayoyong in Bgy. Bernardo District at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
During inspection, it was discovered that the cigarette cargo consisting of 1,000 reams of New Moon cigarettes worth P35,000, was unregistered as it bore no Bureau of Internal Revenue tax stamps.
Dasugo said the arrest was carried out while the suspects were about to sell the cigarettes to a prospective buyer in the city.
A subsequent inspection also resulted in the seizure of an improvised firearm or sumpak and 22 pieces of cal. 5.56 bullets from Tabayoyong.
The two suspects were detained at the police station jail, facing charges for violation of BIR regulation 7-2014, which prescribes the affixture of BIR stamps on imported and locally manufactured cigarettes, and the use of BIR stamp integrated system for the ordering, distribution and monitoring thereof.
