Smuggled cigarettes worth P2.1 million seized at Cebu port

CEBU — Authorities on Monday seized a truck loaded with smuggled cigarettes worth P2.1 million at a port in Oslob, southern Cebu.

Personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) District Central Visayas intercepted the items aboard a barge that arrived at the Mainit Port in the said town, coming from Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte.

Investigation by the PCG showed that the cigarettes came from Malaysia.

Coast Guard personnel inspected the items that were stuffed and tightly packed inside canned sardine boxes.

The smuggled cigarettes were declared as canned goods, the PCG said.

"After confiscation, the PCG turned over the said cargo to the Bureau of Customs-7 for proper disposition. Meanwhile, the hired driver of the wing van truck was allowed to return to Zamboanga del Norte," the PCG said in a statement.

As of writing, authorities are still tracking the individuals who sent the said cigarettes.

"The PCG actively works with the BOC to enforce maritime laws and regulations and address smuggling and other illegal activities within the country's maritime jurisdiction," it said.

— with report from Annie Perez

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