P11.5-M smuggled cigarettes seized in Sulu town

AUTHORITIES seized some P11.5 million worth of contrabands in a law enforcement operation in the province of Sulu, the police said Tuesday, August 6, 2024.

The Regional Maritime Unit Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (RMU BAR)-Philippine National Police said the contraband consisting of 200 master cases of smuggled cigarettes seized around 9 p.m. Sunday, August 4, in the island village of Bubuan, Hadji Panglima Tahil.

The police said the Sulu Maritime Police Station (MARPSTA) launched an anti-smuggling operation following reports that boxes of cigarettes were being unloaded in Bubuan.

The Sulu MARPSTA personnel backed by policemen from other units have seized an abandoned motorboat loaded with 200 master cases of smuggled cigarettes worth P11.5 million.

The Sulu MARPSTA said the smugglers have shifted their operations using the small island as a staging area for their smuggled products.

“This tactic involved loading the cigarettes onto a motorboat and then distributing them in smaller quantities to buyers on the main islands, aiming to evade detection by authorities,” the Sulu MARPSTA said in a statement.

The confiscated smuggled cigarettes were taken to the Sulu MARPSTA and will be turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition. (SunStar Zamboanga)