Six Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel and a civilian cohort were arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) after they allegedly yielded ₱3,075,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes during an anti-smuggling operation in Naawan, Misamis Oriental, on Friday, April 17.
PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said investigators are pursuing a possible wider network behind cigarette smuggling in Northern Mindanao following the arrest of the PCG personnel, who were assigned to various Coast Guard stations in the area, along with a civilian driver.
According to a police report, two of the arrested PCG personnel were assigned to the Southwestern Northern Mindanao unit, while others were from sub-stations in Laguindingan, Lugait, Libertad, and El Salvador City.
“These people are assigned to different sub-stations, so we are looking into a network of connivance for both smuggling and distribution. We will dig deeper and make sure that those involved will be held accountable,” Nartatez said.
The suspects were arrested at around 1:30 a.m. while unloading boxes of smuggled cigarettes from a fishing vessel and transferring them into a Mitsubishi L300 van at the Coast Guard Sub-Station in Purok 5, Poblacion, Naawan.
Police seized 205 master cases of Cannon Menthol 100 cigarettes from the suspects.
Nartatez said the operation stemmed from intelligence reports about ongoing smuggling activities involving some Coast Guard personnel in Mindanao.
Operatives from the PNP Maritime Unit in Misamis Oriental led the raid, coordinating with the Naawan Municipal Police Station, the Provincial Intelligence Unit, and the 2nd Misamis Oriental Provincial Mobile Force Company.
“It is highly unfair that while our men and personnel of other government agencies — including PCG personnel themselves — are risking life and limb against smugglers, these people were actually in cahoots with them,” Nartatez said.
The discovery of the contraband inside a Coast Guard facility further alarmed police leadership.
“What further drew the anger of PGen. Nartatez was when he found out that the smuggled cigarettes were discovered right inside the PCG Sub-Station,” the report noted.
The PNP chief directed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to help build a strong case to ensure conviction against the suspects.
“In coordination with PCG leadership, we will make sure that these six Coast Guard men will not only be dismissed from the service but will also spend years in jail,” Nartatez said.
All seized items were turned over to the Bureau of Customs, while the suspects remained under the custody of the PNP Maritime Unit in Misamis Oriental pending the filing of charges for violation of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. (Martin Sadongdong)
