AUTHORITIES arrested three individuals in a law enforcement operation that led to the confiscation of P14 million worth of smuggled cigarettes off Zamboanga City, the police said Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
The Regional Maritime Unit-9 (RMU-9) identified the three arrested persons through their aliases as Ab, Aki, and Jul, all of legal ages.
The RMU-9 said the three were arrested in a law enforcement operation around 8:30 a.m. Monday, February 23, in the waters of Sinunuc village, Zamboanga City.
The RMU-9 said the operatives were conducting seaborne patrol when they chanced upon a motorboat marked Yana-1 with three persons on board.
“Upon their approach and inspection, it was discovered that the motorboat was loaded with suspected illegal cigarettes. The occupants failed to present any relevant paperwork or document that would prove the legal transportation of the cargo,” the RMU-9 said in a statement.
The RMU-9 said seized were 350 master cases of assorted smuggled cigarettes worth P14 million.
The three suspects and the motorboat as well as the confiscated smuggled cigarettes were brought to the RMU-9 headquarters in Baliwasan village, Zamboanga City for proper disposition.
The RMU-9 reaffirmed its commitment to intensify surveillance of the seas to suppress smuggling and transnational crimes to ensure peace and order in coastal communities. (SunStar Zamboanga)