The Bureau of Customs-Port of Zamboanga (BOC-POZ) confiscated P3M worth of smuggled cigarettes found on board a truck in Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay province on Aug. 23.

The Port of Zamboanga, Regional Mobile Force Battalion 9 (RMFB9), and the Tungawan Municipal Station (MPS) conducted an anti-smuggling operation in Brgy. Baluran, Tungawan, following a tip that a vehicle was carrying illegal goods.

Joint operatives of the Port of Zamboanga, RMFB9, and the MPS hauled in 85 cases of the contraband carrying different brands contained in an Isuzu Canter Truck with three passengers inside.

Port District Collector Segundo Sigmundfreud Barte Jr. said the operation is part of Port’s commitment in doubling efforts to prevent the entry of illegal shipments, pursuant to the directive of Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz, with the support of other partner enforcement agencies.The vehicle and its contents are now under the custody of the BOC for proper disposition, following the violation of Section 1113 (a) of Republic Act 10863, otherwise known as the “Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) of 2016, in relation to Section 117 and the Tobacco Exportation and Importation Rules and Regulations.