ZAMBOANGA CITY –– Some P183 million worth of contraband cigarettes seized in anti-smuggling operations since September were destroyed by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) recently.
BOC District Collector Segundo Sigmundfreud Barte Jr. said the contraband was part of some P2.2 billion illegally imported goods seized by the agency from January to November this year.
The smuggled items were apprehended in Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
Barte credits good inter-agency coordination for the success of the BOC’s anti-smuggling operations, citing the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, Philippine Marines, Philippine Navy, National Bureau of Investigation, and Joint Task Force Zamboanga, among others.
On Monday, Dec. 7, authorities spread 5,200 master cases of cigarettes on an outdoor yard of a warehouse, drenched with water by firemen and disposed of in the city’s sanitary landfill.
Each master case contains 50 reams, while each ream contains 10 packs of cigarettes.
The destruction of the contrabands was witnessed by representatives of the Commission on Audit, Department of Health, local governments, and law enforcement agencies.
Barte said the aggressive anti-smuggling campaign and the immediate destruction of seized contrabands were “a firm directive” from Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero.
Smuggled cigarettes are widely sold on the city’s sidewalks. At the back of City Hall and the local police office, these can be bought at P25 to P45 per pack.