Authorities seized alleged smuggled cigarettes worth more than P21 million and arrested five people in Zamboanga City.

Police and personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) intercepted a motorboat loaded with the alleged contraband while conducting a seaborne operation in the waters off Sta. Cruz Island.

The five crew members on board the boat, all residents of Barangay Mariki, were arrested.

Seized from the boat were a total of 366 master cases and 35 reams of assorted cigarettes.

The motorboat and the boxes of cigarettes were turned over to the BOC while the suspects were taken into police custody.

“This successful interdiction is proof of our strengthened maritime security posture in partnership with the Bureau of Customs. PRO 9 remains relentless in its mission to protect our communities and ensure that Zamboanga Peninsula will not be a safe haven for smugglers,” Police Regional Office-Zamboanga (PRO-9) Director, Brigadier General Eleazar Matta, said.