Coast Guard seizes smuggled cigarettes off Zambo town

PAGADIAN CITY - The Philippine Coast Guard recently seized over P21 million worth of smuggled cigarettes from a fishing boat off the southern island of Olutanga in Zamboanga Sibugay province.

 

Philippine Coast Guard photos show the operations that led to the seizure of the contraband in Zamboanga Sibugay province.

It said a patrol vessel owned by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources manned by the Coast Guard and BFAR personnel spotted the MPF TRD Express and inspected the suspicious boat and discovered the contraband. 

“The fishing vessel, MPD TRD Express, was found to be carrying approximately 350 boxes of undocumented cigarettes and was subsequently apprehended. The vessel and its illegal cargo were turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition and filing of the case,” the Coast Guard said. 

It did not say how many crew members the fishing boat had or the identity of the contraband’s owner or even its consignee.

Last month, the Philippine Navy also confiscated over P398 million worth of smuggled cigarettes from a cargo ship M/V Samson off the southern province of Tawi-Tawi.

The vessel, manned by 10 Indonesian crew members, was intercepted on Feb. 1, and only reported by the Navy on Feb. 22 for still unknown reasons. The cargo ship was loaded with over 10,000 cases of cigarettes and was turned over to the Bureau of Customs here on Feb. 10. (Mindanao Examiner)