ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Zamboanga City Police reported that its operatives arrested five people and seized more than P8 million worth of illicit goods in anti-smuggling operations here and in the province of Tawi-Tawi.

Police said that the contraband consisted of P5,250,000 smuggled cigarettes and P2,800,000 smuggled petroleum products.

According to Zamboanga City Police chief Col. Alexander Lorenzo, the P5.2 million worth of smuggled cigarettes were seized around 4 a.m. Sunday in Barangay Sinunuc comprising of at least 150 master cases of cigarettes.

The contrabands were seized after the police received intelligence information on the presence of smuggled cigarettes, however, no one was arrested as the supposed owner of the contraband, Muhammad Esmali Laudin, was not around when the police officers arrived in the area.

Lorenzo said the contraband will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition.

Meanwhile, Col. Richard Verceles, Area Police Command-Western Mindanao operations chief, said the smuggled petroleum products were seized around 10:30 a.m. Sunday in the waters of Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi.

Verceles said police and BoC personnel intercepted a barge, M/V Masmud 1, with five-man crew after receiving information about shipment of petroleum products allegedly coming from Malaysia.

The barge was found to be loaded with 10,000 liters of diesel with P400,000 and 60,000 liters of gasoline with P2.4 million.

Authorities nabbed the crew identified as Rome Anung Jr., Zulkifli Bin Baksing, Zulfendy Bin Salim, Zulkifle Bin Akim, and Mohd Shahrulaffandi Bin Yahaya.