Combined agents of the Bureau of Customs and policemen under Brig. Gen. Bowenn Joey Masauding, director of the Police Regional Office-9, seized P16 million worth of imported cigarettes in an anti-smuggling operation at the Zamboanga City Port on Thursday, August 22, 2024.
Masauding announced on Sunday that the contraband, consisting of 281 large boxes of cigarettes made in Indonesia, was found inside a six-wheeler large delivery van that has just maneuvered out, along with other vehicles, from large ferry from Sulu that docked at the Zamboanga City Port.
Masauding said the Bureau of Customs and PRO-9 shall together destroy the confiscated smuggled cigarettes after documentation processes had been done.
The seas in Sulu and Tawi, both in the Bangsamoro region, are known entry routes for smugglers transporting cigarettes from Indonesia to mainland Mindanao. (August 25, 2024, JFU)
