COTABATO CITY, Nov. 27 -- Alert police officers arrested one of their own in Lanao del Sur for transporting over PHP1.9 million worth of smuggled cigarettes before dawn Thursday.

Lt. Col. Jopy Ventura, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), identified the arrested police officer as certain "Staff Sgt. Nasser," 40, an active member of the Lanao del Sur police force, and his companion, Ansary Barua, 42, both from Malabang, Lanao del Sur.

Ventura said a joint police team from the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Battalion and Malabang Municipal Police Station (MPS) set up a checkpoint in Barangay Jose Abad Santos (JAS), Malabang, at around 4 a.m. after reports of ongoing transport of smuggled cigaret...