ZAMBOANGA CITY – Around P526 million worth of smuggled cigarettes were intercepted by the Philippine Navy in Western Mindanao during two separate operations last week.
The first operation took place on Wednesday afternoon, May 13, when Navy personnel spotted a suspicious vessel loaded with cargo. Upon boarding for verification, they discovered 2,519 cases of foreign cigarettes without proper documentation.
An inventory conducted the following day revealed that the cargo had an estimated market value of P317,352,637, which included the P1.2-million vessel.
The boat captain and 13 crew members were identified as residents of Maluso, Basilan province.
Less than 48 hours later, another vessel, the JTK Express, was intercepted southeast of Matanal Point, Hadji Mohammad Ajul in Basilan.
Navy personnel found 1,400 master cases of undocumented cigarettes worth P208,947,243. The boat was reportedly en route to Pagadian City from Tawi-Tawi when it was stopped.
Both vessels were escorted to Naval Station Romulo Espaldon in Bagong Calarian, Zamboanga City.
In total, 3,916 master cases of smuggled cigarettes with a combined estimated value of P526,299,880 were recovered.
Twenty-one individuals were apprehended and now face charges for violating Republic Act 12022, the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act. The confiscated items were turned over to the Bureau of Customs at the Port of Zamboanga. (Liza Jocson)
