DAVAO CITY (August 23) — The Philippine Coast Guard Station in Zamboanga City seized 1,700 sacks of imported sugar which has an estimated market value of Php 3.4 million, last Tuesday, August 21.
Personnel of Coast Guard Station (CGS) Zamboanga discovered the imported sugar onboard M/B Fatima Shakira which departed Jolo, Sulu and was enroute to Zamboanga City when the vessel was intercepted.
M/B Fatima Shakira was skippered by a certain Kaiser Jaafar and is owned and operated by Hadji Alsamer Jaafar.
On August 13, the CGS Zamboanga seized 5,000 bags of smuggled sugar with an estimated amount of Php 10 million onboard M/L Sabrina which they recently rescued off Mapun, Tawi-Tawi.
Lieutenant Commander Noriel Ramos, Station Commander of CGS Zamboanga, said they sent a team to validate an an intelligence report they received regarding the ongoing illegal operations.
When the team scoured the waters between Pilas Group of Islands and Cawit, Zamboanga City, they found vessel and upon inspection, they discovered that the shipment did not have pertinent documents which resulted to the apprehension.
The vessel was then escorted to Zamboanga Port on Sunday, where the shipment were properly turned-over to the Bureau of Customs for inventory and filing of appropriate charges against the consignee.
Ramos, he said that the Coast Guard has intensified its anti-smuggling campaign together with the Bureau of Customs especially commodities used as precursor in producing improvised explosive devices.-ezc/NewsLine.ph
