ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Bureau of Customs led the simultaneous destruction of some P395 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in the cities of Zamboanga and Pagadian on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
The condemnation activities were held in Pavillion, Dao in Pagadian City and at a customs rented warehouse in Baliwasan, Zamboanga City.
Some 11,219 master cases of assorted smuggled cigarettes were disposed of during the simultaneous activity.
In Zamboanga City, the cigarettes were drenched in water, crushed by a payloader and disposed of at the sanitary landfill in Barangay Salaan.
Officials from the Zamboanga local government, the Commission on Audit, police, military and other supporting agencies witnessed the disposal of the smuggled cigarettes.
Zamboanga District Collector Segundo Sigmundfreud Barte Jr. said this was the second condemnation activity led by the Bureau of Customs at the Port of Zamboanga this year.
In May, around P110-million worth of smuggled cigarettes were also destroyed.