The Philippine Coast Guard District Central Visayas confiscates smuggled cigarettes worth P2.1 million in Cebu on Monday, August 1, 2022. (Photo from Philippine Coast Guard/Facebook)
MANILA, Philippines — More than P2 million worth of smuggled cigarettes were seized in Cebu, said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
In a statement on Thursday, the PCG announced that its team in Central Visayas confiscated contraband cigarettes from a wing van truck onboard MV Lite Ferry 17, which was en route from Dapitan Port in Zambaonga del Norte to Mainit Port in Cebu.
Packed inside boxes of canned sardines, the illegally imported cigarettes from Malaysia were valued at P2,116,000, according to the coast guard.
The seized goods have since been handed over to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for disposal, while the hired driver of the wing van truck was allowed by the PCG to return to Zamboanga del Norte.
“The PCG actively works with the BOC to enforce maritime laws and regulations and address smuggling and other illegal activities within the country’s maritime jurisdiction,” the PCG said.