AUTHORITIES have arrested two persons and seized some P9.7 million worth of contrabands in a law enforcement operation in this city, a top police official said Monday, February 19.
Police Colonel Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, said identified the two arrested persons as Talib Alpa, 51, and Jomar Alid, 25, both residents of Talabaan village, this city.
Lorenzo said they were arrested by personnel of the 2nd Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company (2ZCMFC) around 10:20 p.m. Sunday, February 18, near Sta. Cruz Island, this city.
Lorenzo said the personnel of the 2ZCMFC were on patrol when they chanced upon a motorboat locally known as jungkong marked Ridzna with two people on board navigating to the direction of this city.
Lorenzo said the jungkong was found to be loaded with 170 master cases of assorted cigarettes worth P9.7 million when it was stopped for inspection.
He said the 2ZCMFC personnel arrested Alpa and Alid after they failed to present documents of their cargo that came from the province of Sulu.
He said the two arrested persons, jungkong, and the smuggled cigarettes were taken to the headquarters of the 2ZCMFC and will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition. (SunStar Zamboanga)