OPERATIVES of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) intercepted a shipment of some P11 million worth of smuggled rice in Recodo village, Zamboanga City, a top PCG official said Wednesday, December 12.

Lieutenant Commander Noriel Ramos, Zamboanga Coast Guard Station commander, said the shipment of some 7,000 sacks of rice of 25 kilos each was intercepted around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday following receipt of information that the cargoes were unloaded in Recodo, 14.45 kilometers west of this city.

However, Ramos said the some of the sacks of rice were already stockpiled near a mosque and “awaiting hired trucks for hauling” while the rest were already placed inside a makeshift warehouse.

He said the vessel that transported the sacks of rice was gone when they PCG anti-smuggling team arrived. No one claims to own the smuggled rice shipment.

He said the shipment of rice, which was believed to have come from Malaysia, has an estimated market value of P11 million. (SunStar Philippines)