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P5-M Worth of Smuggled Cigarettes Seized in Pagadian Waters, Two Arrested
Authorities in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, seized approximately P5 million worth of smuggled cigarettes and arrested two individuals during a maritime operation. The confiscated items, including untaxed cigarettes, were part of an intensified campaign against smuggling.
PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – Authorities arrested two individuals and seized nearly P5 million worth of alleged smuggled cigarettes during a joint maritime law enforcement operation in the waters of Yllana Bay off Barangay White Beach, Pagadian City, early Sunday morning. Capt. Derf Jay Maquinta, spokesperson for the Zamboanga del Sur Police Provincial Office, said personnel from the Zamboanga del Sur Maritime Police Station (ZDS MARPSTA), along with other law enforcement agencies, conducted the operation at 3:45 a.m. The seaborne patrol formed part of the intensified campaign against illegal smuggling in the province. READ: P1.5-M ‘smuggled’ cigarettes seized in Northern Mindanao The team intercepted a wooden motorized pump boat visibly loaded with boxes of suspected illicit cigarettes. The operation resulted in the arrest of two male suspects, aged 24 and 26, both residents of Picong, Lanao del Sur. Confiscated items included one wooden motorized boat powered by two Honda 16HP marine gasoline engines and 80 master cases of New Berlin cigarettes valued at approximately P4,840,000. Authorities noted that the seized cigarettes bore no Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) tax stamps and lacked the required graphic health warning signs. The arrested suspects and confiscated items are now under the custody of the ZDS MARPSTA for documentation and proper disposition. Follow-up investigations are underway to determine the source of the contraband and possibly identify other individuals involved in the smuggling attempt./coa
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