P5.8-M smuggled cigarettes seized

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Police seized about 101 master cases of assorted brands of smuggled cigarettes worth P5.8 million that were left abandoned Monday at a mangrove area in Barangay Talon-Talon in this city.

Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) Director P/Col. Fidel Fortaleza Jr. said yesterday the seizure of 101 master cases of cigarettes was made in coordination with the Bureau of Customs (BoC) which conducted a joint intelligence operation.

A site inventory of the seized smuggled cigarettes showed that it consists of 83 master cases of Modern Brand cigarettes and 18 master cases of Delta Brand cigarettes with an estimated market worth of P5,787,300 million.

The police failed to arrest any suspects involved in the transportation of the smuggled tobacco leaf products to this city. Fortaleza said they immediately turned over the seized smuggled cigarettes to the BoC for proper disposition.

Meanwhile, the BoC in this city has apparently slowed down its campaign against the entry of smuggled goods in this city and the region.

Smuggled cigarettes are being sold openly in public and private markets by local traders, an indication that smuggled cigarettes can easily be brought into the city by smugglers without fear of being caught by elements of the BoC.

Reports also indicated that BoC is simply tolerating the entry of smuggled goods due to the lack of BoC police operatives to conduct operations against the entry of smuggled goods to this city.

Earlier, Zamboanga City has been named as the smuggling capital in southern Philippines due to its proximity to the Federal State of Sabah.

The local BoC for several years now has closed its doors to reporters, bolstering suspicion that some BoC officials in this city are in cahoots with smugglers.