AUTHORITIES have foiled an alleged shipment of P8.9 million by a businessman at the local port, an official on Tuesday, July 25.
The alleged shipment was intercepted around 3 p.m., Monday, July 24, at the Traveler’s Hub of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
Major Camillo Cascolan, Jr., local customs police chief, said the P8.9-million cash was packed in a cartoon box hand carried by Isnaji Sadjail, 57, a resident of the municipality of Parang, Sulu.
Cascolan said the content of the cartoon box was uncovered to be huge sum of money consisting of P1,000 and P500 bills, when it passed through an x-ray scan machine at the Traveler’s Hub.
The Traveler’s Hub caters to passengers traveling to nearby Malaysia.
Cascolan said Sadjail was scheduled to depart for Malaysia aboard a passenger-cargo ferry that serves the Zamboanga-Malaysia route via the city of Sandakan in Sabah.
Cascolan said the money was seized and turned over to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) as Sadjail violated a circular of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Lawyer Halleck Valdez, BOC district collector, said that BSP Circular No. 922, series of 2016, allows any person to bring Philippine legal tender of not more than P50,000 while traveling abroad.
“In excess of that (amount), a BSP authorization is needed,” Valdez added.
He said the seized money was placed under the custody of his office while Sadjail under the local coast guard command.
Sadjail said he does not own the entire P8.9 million citing the other owners are his businessmen-friends.
Sadjail said he was entrusted by his friends to buy goods, locally known as “barter goods,” in Malaysia to be sold locally. (SunStar Philippines)