P11.5M worth of smuggled cigarettes seized in Sulu — NBI

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday announced that its agents have seized smuggled cigarettes with an estimated market value of P11.5 million in Tahil, Sulu.

According to the NBI, operatives of the NBI-Western Mindanao Regional Office, with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC), conducted a joint operation against a group involved in the illegal importation of smuggled cigarettes on August 4.

The NBI said this led to the seizure of a pump boat containing around 200 master cases or 100,000 packs of alleged smuggled cigarettes with an estimated market value of P11.5 million.

The agency said the contraband cigarettes have a total value of P17.5 million with the inclusion of the P6 million loss of tax that was deprived to the government.

The bureau, however, said the suspected smugglers were able to evade arrest as they managed to detect the authorities approaching from the shoreline and escape.

Meanwhile, the cigarettes were turned over to BOC Sub-Port Sulu.

According to the NBI, the operation stemmed from information about the alleged transshipment of alleged counterfeit products in the Sulu Archipelago. —RF, GMA Integrated News