P1.6M smuggled cigarettes seized in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur—Police intercepted and seized some P1.6 million worth of smuggled cigarettes that were sneaked into the city on Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 2).

Colonel Rexmel Reyes, city police director, said the contraband items were loaded in a ‘jungkong’ or improvised fast-craft from Sulu. The haul consisted of 47 master cases of imported cigarettes like Fort White, Astro Red, and Cannon.

Each master case is estimated to be valued at P35,000 in the local market, or a total of P1.645 million for the entire shipment.

Reyes said the boat crew could not present pertinent documents of the shipment.

Police also arrested the three boat crew and the vessel owner.

Lieutenant Agnes Miro, spokesperson of the Zamboanga City Police Office, said they leave the filing of charges to the Bureau of Customs as they are now in possession of the seized goods.

From January to October this year, Miro said the city police conducted 30 operations, yielding a total of 3,082 cases, 13 sacks and 703 reams of assorted imported cigarettes with an estimated commercial value of P81 million.