BOC-Zamboanga seizes P35M worth of smuggled cigarettes

The Bureau of Customs-Port of Zamboanga has seized P35 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in a recent operation with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Navy, and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

In a statement on Thursday, the BOC said the contraband cigarettes were seized in the vicinity waters off Lower Calarian, Zamboanga last April 9.

The bureau said the recent operation is the biggest in the Port of Zamboanga's history.

Port of Zamboanga district collector Segundo Barte Jr. said the collaborative effort is in compliance to the directive of Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero to intensify anti-smuggling operations in the ZAMBASULTA (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi) area.

Barte said the operation stemmed from the intelligence report forwarded by the BOC-Intelligence Group on April 7 from Zamboanga residents.

“We immediately coordinated the said report with the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy and other government agencies including Task Force Zamboanga for possible apprehension of more or less 3,000 cigarette cases at Hadji Taha wharf in Baliwasan but the vessel did not arrive,” he said.

"Thereafter, the bureau and other partner-government agencies continued to monitor the vessel," he said.

Last April 9, the Philippine Navy intercepted watercraft MJ Andrea I containing 1,159 cases of smuggled cigarettes from Indonesia for delivery to Lower Calarian, Zamboanga City.

A thorough search was immediately conducted with the presence of the personnel of the Philippine Drug and Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to determine if there are illegal drugs stored inside. PDEA’s K9 sniffing dogs inspected the vessel and found negative for drugs, according to the BOC.

The seized shipment will now be subjected to the issuance of Warrant of Seizure and Detention (WSD) in the absence of the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) permit and for violation of Executive Order No. 245 “Amended Rules & Regulations Governing the Exportation and Importation of Tobacco and Tobacco Products” and Section 117 of RA 10863 otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) of 2016. —LDF, GMA News