Intensified BoC ops rake in P300-M contraband

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Bureau of Customs in Zamboanga Peninsula and Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces on Sunday disclosed that it has seized at least P300 million worth of smuggled cigarettes and petroleum products last month during a series of law enforcement operation on border control.

BoC Zamboanga City district collector Segundo Barte Jr. said that the separate border control operations have also resulted in the arrest of 26 persons, four of them Indonesian nationals caught aiding smugglers in their smuggling activities.

He added that there were three significant border control operations they conducted with police forces which resulted in the seizure of about 960 master cases of assorted brands of smuggled cigarettes worth P286.2 million.

The BoC district collector also revealed that operatives from the 2nd Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company intercepted a mini truck van at QCP Boyugan West, Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur on 4 October loaded with 215 master cases of assorted brands of smuggled cigarettes with an estimated worth of P9.675 million and arrested three persons.

On 5 October, authorities also intercepted two motor launches at Tumalutap Island off the coast of Zamboanga City loaded with 6,000 master cases of various brands of smuggled cigarettes worth P270 million and arrested 12 persons.

According to Barte, the smuggled cigarettes came from Sulu province and were scheduled for distribution at the local government markets in some towns in Zamboanga del Sur province.

Elements of Hadji Muhtamad Municipal Police Station in Basilan province had also intercepted a watercraft at the coastal areas of the town loaded with 145 master cases of contraband worth P6.3 million.

Authorities also intercepted a shipment of petroleum products from Sabah Malaysia worth P2.4 million at the seawaters of Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi and arrested five people, four of them Malaysian nationals aiding Filipino smugglers.

The four Malaysian nationals were identified as Zulkifli Bin Baksing, Zulfendy Bin Salim, Zulkifle Bin Akim and Mohd Shahrulaffandi Bin Yahaya.