PERSONNEL of the Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao (CGDSWM) have apprehended a fishing vessel loaded with some P21.6 million worth of contraband off Zamboanga Sibugay province, the CGDSWM said Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
The CGDSWM said the fishing vessel, marked MPD TRD Express, was apprehended near Olutanga Island, Zamboanga Sibugay on Monday, March 18.
The CGDSWM said the personnel aboard the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance-3001 (MCS-3001) were conducting maritime patrol when they sighted the fishing vessel at sea.
The CGDSWM said MPD TRD Express was found to be loaded with 350 master cases of cigarettes when the MCS-3001 personnel inspected the fishing vessel.
The fishing vessel was apprehended, the cigarettes were seized and the crew were arrested after no one among them was able to present documents of the cigarettes they were transporting.
The cigarettes, fishing vessel, and its crew were turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition. (SunStar Zamboanga)