BOXES of suspected smuggled cigarettes seized in Mandaue City, Cebu. (Contributed photo)
CEBU CITY – More than 1,000 boxes of allegedly smuggled cigarettes were seized at the reclamation area in Mandaue City, Cebu.
The tobacco products were loaded in 20-foot and 40-foot container vans abandoned at dawn on Tuesday, May 12.
Capt. Jerome Lozada, station commander of Coast Guard Station Cebu, said the contraband was valued between P70 million to P80 million.
Lozada said they received information about a shipment of smuggled cigarettes that will arrive in Cebu via Pier 7.
Because of the tip, monitoring in ports was intensified, said Lozada.
Around 3 a.m. Tuesday, two trailer trucks were spotted leaving Pier 7.
A few meters from Pier 7, their drivers fled, leaving the cargoes behind.
The Coast Guard, together with the Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Internal Revenue, checked the cargoes and found boxes of tobacco products.
Lozada said they waited for the drivers to return. They did not return, prompting them to examine the trucks.
He said it was the second time that huge amounts of smuggled cigarettes were seized.