P13.7M cigarettes seized in Zamboanga

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has intercepted P13.7 million worth of alleged smuggled cigarettes in Zamboanga City.

According to the BOC, bureau officers at the Port of Zamboanga, along with the Philippine National Police, discovered the undocumented imported cigarettes after it flagged a motorized wooden watercraft marked “Lautanmas 3” off the waters of Maasin, Zamboanga City on Nov. 6.

The cigarettes were reportedly transported from Jolo, Sulu, and was bound for unloading in Zamboanga City.

A joint inventory conducted by the BOC, PNP and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency revealed 240 master cases of cigarettes bearing the brands “San Marino,” “Astro,” “Green Hill,” “New Berlin,” “New Far,” “Cannon” and “Bravo.”

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According to the BOC, the vessel and the cigarettes are currently under the custody of the BOC pending seizure and forfeiture proceedings for violation against the “Tobacco Exportation and Importation Rules and Regulations” of the National Tobacco Administration and Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. —TINA G. SANTOS