P5.6-M worth of smuggled cigarettes seized from 2 operations in Zamboanga City


One of two boats allegedly carrying smuggled cigarettes in Zamboanga City. (PNP photo/MANILA BULLETIN)

Separate operations on Monday, June 28, yielded P5.6-million worth of smuggled cigarettes in Zamboanga city.

At 2 a.m., police and customs personnel intercepted a motorized wooden vessel, locally known as “jungkong.” loaded with 90 cases of smuggled cigarettes.

The contraband, worth P3.150-million, was seized off Baliwasan seaside, a coastal community located inside the Zamboanga town proper.

An hour later, another jungkong was intercepted off the shores of the nearby community of Mariki.

The boat, marked “Yasmeen,” was loaded with 70 cases of smuggled tobacco worth P2.450-million.

The apprehending units together with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-9) personnel conducted a joint inventory and paneling to check on the presence of illegal drugs.

Seven crew members were also placed under the custody of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).