Agents of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized more than P1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in an operation in Jolo, Sulu.
BOC Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz said the 30 cases of smuggled cigarettes were intercepted in Zone 3, Barangay Tulay by agents of the BOC - Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) and Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS).
The confiscated items were brought to the BOC Sub-port of Jolo for inventory and disposition.
Ruiz said the confiscation was in accordance with Section 117 of R.A. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) of 2016, concerning Executive Order Number 245 entitled “Amended Rules and Regulations Governing the Exportation and Importation of Leaf Tobacco and Tobacco Products.
Authorities have stepped up the anti-smuggling operations in the western part of Mindanao which is labeled as the usual entry points of smuggled items in the past.