malaysiang
MANILA: The Philippine National Police (PNP) has seized around PHP1 billion worth of smuggled cigarettes in Western Mindanao during police operations from January to August 25 this year.
In a statement on Thursday, Maj. Gen. Bernard Banac, Area Police Command-Western Mindanao director, said the operations in Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi led to the arrest of 61 people and confiscation of 137,738 reams of smuggled cigarettes.
Banac said five smuggling cases were filed before the local fiscal offices while 50 others were recommended for appropriate action to the Bureau of Customs.
He said the campaign is in compliance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order to intensify the anti-smuggling operations in the country.
Smuggling operations, he said, rob the government of billions of pesos that would have been used in various projects, programs and other social services.
PNP chief Gen. R
ommel Francisco Marbil vowed to eradicate cigarette smuggling following reports that the government lost a staggering PHP25.5 billion in 2023 due to the illicit trade.
Marbil said the battle against counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes is not just a fight for revenue or law enforcement but ‘a crusade to safeguard the health of our people and ensure economic stability.”
Fresh orange shipment seized
The Bureau of Customs (BOC), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA), on Thursday prevented the entry of a shipment consisting of 3,200 cartons of fresh oranges worth PHP8.4 million from Thailand due to ‘derogatory information.’
District collector Carmelita Talusan said the shipment arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) but was halted after the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) told the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) that it lacked the mandatory Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC).
CIIS Director Verne Enciso, for his part, said the intercep
tion highlights the coordination and collaboration among and between key government agencies, and even the various units within the BOC.
‘The information we received was immediately verified by our officers and with the help of agriculture experts, we were able to pin down the cargo,’ he added.
CIIS-MICP chief Alvin Enciso said unsanitary imported agricultural products can pose a health risk to local consumers.
‘Smuggling does not only pose a threat to the country’s security but more so, it puts our consumers at risk and even impacts the local economy,’ Enciso said.
‘In the BOC, we are not only committed to protect and secure our borders, but we are also dedicated to ensure that our markets remain free from harmful imported products that can create an avalanche of health and environmental problems,’ he added.
The confiscated oranges will be subjected to condemnation proceedings in accordance with DA Department Order No. 09, series of 2010, to ensure that said goods do not reach the local market.
The cas
e records of the subject importation were also referred to the Bureau Action Team Against Smuggling for case build-up and eventual prosecution of personalities behind the halted unlawful importation of agricultural products, as may be warranted by collated evidence.
Source: Philippines News agency
