8 arrested for smuggling ₱18.6M cigarette cargo in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Alert personnel from the 2nd Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company (2nd ZCMFC) “Seaborne” intercepted eight individuals attempting to smuggle ₱18,670,333.00 worth of cigarettes at Acapulco Beach, Barangay Sinunuc, Zamboanga City, on October 8.

In the report of PLt Lanz Danglapen, team leader of the 2nd ZCMFC “Seaborne” to PBGen Elmer Ragay, regional director of the Police Regional Office 9, at around 3:45 in the morning, they were conducting maritime seaborne patrol operations in the said area when they intercepted a motorised boat for inspection and found cargoes of boxes of cigarettes.

According to Ganglapen, the boat was carrying eight people and the crew could not present any legal documents for the transportation of the cargo.

Upon examination, the cargo consists of 124 Master Cases and 35 Reams of various allegedly smuggled cigarettes with an estimated market value of ₱18,670,333.00.

The confiscated cigarettes were immediately brought to the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Port of Zamboanga, for inventory and marking of the contraband and the filing of cases against the suspects for violating Republic Act No. 12022, also known as the “Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.”