Zamboanga City—Military operatives seized a shipment of some P600,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes while on security operation in this southern port city, officials said Saturday.
Col. Antonio John Divinagracia, Joint Task Force Zamboanga commander, said the shipment was intercepted around 9 p.m. Thursday at the seaside area of Barangay Baliwasan this city.
Divinagracia said the troops were conducting a checkpoint when they intercepted a van driven by Puntukan Kimar Gulam loaded with 20 master cases of cigarettes.
He said Gulan and his companion, Parkalid Sapapan, failed to show documents to justify the legality of their shipment.
“Our intensified operation against smuggling yielded positive results as observed in the series of confiscation of smuggled cigarettes,” he said.
The confiscated cigarettes were turned over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition.
“This should serve as a reminder to all those who plan to conduct lawless activity in this part of the region,” said Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Western Mindanao Command chief said.
Sobejana has assured that the Westmincom, through all of its Joint Task Forces, “will stick to our mandate to end all sorts of lawlessness in our area of operation.”