THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) again chalked up gains in its anti-smuggling drive against tobacco products, seizing P23.9 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in Davao del Sur and Zamboanga.
A BOC statement dated March 27, 2023, attributed to district collector Atty. Dino Austria, said 499 master cases consisting of 24,950 reams of smuggled cigarettes were apprehended at the municipal waters of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur by the BOC Water Patrol Division.
The BOC-WPD is a unit of the Enforcement Security Service (ESS/Customs Police) headed by Dir. Butch Tibayan. The ESS, in turn, is the operational arm of the Enforcement Group (EG) headed by Deputy Commissioner Atty. Teddy Raval.
Austria said the WPD was patrolling the Gulf of Davao when it sighted the ‘MB Amiesha’ a motorized banca with its unknown cargo covered with tarpaulin.
Upon inspection, the smuggled cigarettes were discovered with the crew members unable to present any document to show their cargo was not illicit cigarettes.
Austria said a ‘WSD’ (warrant of seizure and detention) had already been issued against the cargo.
In Zamboanga, another wooden vessel, ‘Jungkong’ was intercepted last March 21, 2023, by government law enforcement agents headed by the BOC’s enforcement and intelligence services
that resulted to the confiscation of ‘Champion’ and ‘Hero’ cigarettes valued at P4.9 million.
Port of Zamboanga district collector Arthur Sevilla Jr., in his report to Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, said the vessel originated from Jolo, Sulu, with 4 crew members bound for Zamboanga City when it was apprehended off the coast of Bgy. Arena Blanco.
Sevilla said he had already ordered the shipment seized.
Cannabis by-products now with PDEA
Meanwhile, Port of Clark district collector John Simon, said they already turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) last March 22, 2023, the custody of various seized marijuana by-products worth more than P120,000.
The prohibited items were seized at the port on different dates between December 2022 and January 2023, Simon added.