Troops intercept more than P1 million worth of smuggled Malaysian cigarettes in Maguindanao

December 29, 2020

Troops seized more than one million pesos worth of  cigarettes smuggled from Malaysia in Maguindanao on Saturday, the Philippine Marines reported on Tuesday.

Maj. Emery Torre, Philippine Marines public affairs office chief, said  troops under the Marine Battalion Landing Team-5, 1st Marine Brigade, Naval Task Group Central intercepted an Elf truck full of smuggled cigarettes in Barangay Sapad, Matanog municipality.

"While implementing an after-Christmas joint Marines-PNP mobile patrol in the area, duty troops flagged down a white Isuzu Elf truck which upon inspection revealed boxes of Fort brand cigarettes hidden in corn sacks," she said.

"The joint Marines-PNP mobile patrol with intensified checkpoints is an offshoot of the recent numerous reports indicating the landing of smuggled goods in Kidama, Matanog," she added.

Torre said the cigarettes with an estimated market value of P1.4 million have no pertinent documents.

"Found goods were reportedly smuggled from the shorelines of Barangay Kidama, Matanog, Maguindanao," she said.

"The armed escorts of the Elf truck were identified to be members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) - Karim Omar, leader of MNLF IHBTA (Indigenous Highlander Bangsamoro Tribal Affairs) Unit, and Abdullah Saidan, team leader of MNLF IHBTA," she added.

Torre said the smuggled goods and identified personalities were turned over to Matanog Municipal Police Station for proper disposition. Robina Asido/DMS