DAVAO CITY — The Bureau of Custom port of Davao intercepted 454 cases of smuggled cigarettes with an estimated value of P17,025,500.00 in Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato.
The Customs said the operation was carried out with the personnel with the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao (NFEM) on December 3, but the BOC reported the incident on December 19.
Authorities confiscated 454 master cases containing 22,700 reams of assorted brands of cigarettes, with a combined estimated value of P17,025,500.00.
Aside from the contraband, the operatives also confiscated the motorized banca used to transport the smuggled cigarettes.
Six (6) individuals who were onboard the motorized banca were apprehended and were brought to the Naval Intelligence Security Group (NISG) for booking and filing of appropriate charges for violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act for Outright Smuggling.
Following the conduct of inventory, the seized cigarettes and motorized banca are now stored in a warehouse pending legal proceedings for seizure and forfeiture
The Customs in a press statement said, they received a tip that a contraband was about to reach the shores of Sultan Kudarat which prompted them to immediately coordinate with the Philippine Nave to launch an operation.
Customs, Collection District XII Officer-in-Charge Maita S. Acevedo, in a statement, said “the BOC is exerting every effort to prevent the entry of these illicit goods into the community.”, the agency remains committed to safeguarding the nation’s borders and economy from illegal trade activities.
