P210-M worth of illegally imported cigarettes destroyed in Zambo City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – Some P210 million worth of illegally imported cigarettes seized in a series of operations last year were destroyed on Tuesday, May 19.

Lawyer Segundo Sigmund Freud Barte, district collector of the Bureau of Customs in Region 9, told the INQUIRER that he received orders from Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero “to speed up cases and destroy forfeited cigarettes immediately.”

Barte said there were 7,126 big boxes and about 15,000 reams were stored at a BOC rented warehouse.

The destruction of the contraband was done in the presence of the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard and local government officials.

The seized cigarettes were drenched with water and then crushed by a forklift.

The crushed contraband was then disposed of at the city landfill, upon permission of the local government.