ZAMBOANGA
CITY: Government operatives intercepted an estimated P2-million worth of
smuggled sugar shipment here, a new police report said.
ZCPO
director S/Supt. Angelito Casimiro said the shipment was intercepted in the
coast of the village of Barangays Bolong and Sangali.
Casimiro
added joint operatives of the Police Station 3, Task Force Zamboanga and
Philippine Coast Guard chanced upon a vessel named M/L Ylaiza Maye V while conducting
seaborne patrol.
He
said the vessel was found to be loaded with 1,146 sacks of sugar of 50 kilos
each when it was inspected as the crew of the vessel, eight crew and six
laborers, failed to present pertinent papers.
A
news source estimated the worth of the intercepted shipment at P2,463,900 based
on the prevailing market price of P43 a kilo.
The
shipment of sugar, said the police director, allegedly came from Malaysia via
Taganak, Tawi-Tawi.
The
confiscated shipment of sugar was turned over to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for
proper disposition, Casimiro added.
The
BOC blame its short-handed personnel on the continued smuggling of goods,
especially here and Cagayan De Oro.
The
office said they are undermanned and needs to recruit as quickly as possible
and deploy.
An
earlier report noted a significant number of smuggling activities still persist
in Zamboanga and Mindanao Container Terminal, a sub-port of Cagayan de Oro.
Apart
from rice, other smuggled goods are mostly sugar and other grocery items.