AUTHORITIES have seized shipments of around P675,075 worth of smuggled cigarettes in separate law enforcement operations in Basilan and Tawi-Tawi on Saturday, January 17, 2026, the police said.
Police Brigadier General Jaysen De Guzman, Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) director, said that P388,575 of the total worth of confiscated smuggled cigarettes were seized in Port Holland Zone 5 village, Maluso, Basilan.
De Guzman said the joint operatives of Pro-Bar and Basilan Maritime Police Station (Basilan Marpsta) seized the shipment while conducting law enforcement operation.
"During the operation, they intercepted and recovered a motor boat loaded with assorted smuggled cigarettes," De Guzman said in his report.
However, no one was arrested as the motorboat and contraband were abandoned by the supposed owner of shipper of the cargo.
The confiscated smuggled cigarettes and motorboat are now under the custody of the Basilan Marpsta for documentation and subsequent turnover to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Sub-Port Bongao for proper disposition.
De Guzman said the remaining worth of P286,500 smuggled cigarettes were seized at a finger wharf in Sitio Lumboy, Nalil village, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.
De Guzman said the personnel of Tawi-Tawi Marpsta, in coordination with the BOC and operatives of the Tawi-Tawi Police Provincial Office, were conducting mobile patrol when they discovered five master cases of smuggled cigarettes near the docking area.
He said efforts to identify the owner proved futile as no individual claimed ownership of the smuggled cigarettes.
The confiscated smuggled cigarettes were brought to Tawi-Tawi Marpsta for proper disposition.
De Guzman commended the operating units for their vigilance and effective inter-agency coordination that led to the confiscation of contraband. (SunStar Zamboanga)