Over P700,000 smuggled cigarettes seized in Jolo port

AUTHORITIES have seized a shipment of smuggled cigarettes declared as dried fish in Jolo, Sulu, the police said Saturday, June 29, 2024.

The Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) said the shipment was seized around 12 p.m. Friday, June 28, aboard a commercial ferry docked at the port of Jolo.

The PRO-BAR said seized by policemen were 650 reams of smuggled cigarettes with an estimated market value of P744,900.

Investigation showed that an unidentified person had left the five boxes with the ship’s checker, declaring it as dried fish for shipment to Zamboanga City.

The confiscated smuggled cigarettes were brought to the Sulu Maritime Police Station for investigation and inventory prior to their turn over to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposition.

Police Brigadier General Prexy Tanggawohn, PRO-BAR director, warned smuggled that they will continuously pursue the campaign against smuggling. (SunStar Zamboanga)