Navy seizes P11.84M smuggled cigarettes off Davao Occidental

The Philippine Navy (PN) said on Saturday, Sept. 16, that it has intercepted an Indonesian motorized watercraft carrying allegedly smuggled cigarettes worth P11.84 million off Sarangani, Davao Occidental.
KM Pejuang Devisa 2 was flagged southwest off Balut Island by troops onboard BRP Artemio Ricarte (PS37), one of the Navy vessels under the operational control of Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao’s (NFEM) Naval Task Force 71, while the latter was conducting patrol operation last Sept. 14.
The watercraft was manned by two Filipino and two undocumented Indonesian crew members, said Commodore Carlos Sabarre, commander of NFEM.
The troops inspected the vessel and discovered a total of 296 master cases of illicit cigarettes with an estimated value of P11.84 million.
Sabarre said the vessel and the four crew members were brought to Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Davao City for health inspection and custodial debriefing prior to their turnover to the relevant government agencies for proper disposition.