P146-M ‘smuggled’ cigarettes, equipment seized at Zambales pier

IBA, Zambales — More than P146 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes and abandoned equipment were seized at a pier in Palauig, Zambales, as authorities formed a composite team to investigate the shipment and track down the vessel that unloaded it.

Based on reports, examiners from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) began the inventory on Thursday, removing the master cases from the containers for accounting.

The initial inventory yielded 1,863 master cases of cigarettes bearing the brand name Modern from four container vans found at BNB Pier in Sitio Luan in Barangay Lipay.

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READ: 4 containers with ‘smuggled’ cigarettes found at Zambales pier

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Three containers were packed full, while the fourth was about three-fourths full, according to the report.

The cigarettes were initially valued at P116,437,500. The abandoned equipment included a Liugong LTC1000 truck crane worth an estimated P25 million and a white Sinotruk Howo truck with a trailer chassis valued at P5 million.

Coast Guard K9 personnel also searched the containers and cigarette cases with trained dogs to check for other illegal substances.

Authorities continued securing and monitoring the shipment while the investigation proceeded.

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The composite team includes personnel from the PCG in Zambales, Task Force Aduana, the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police Maritime Group.

In a phone interview on Friday (Oct. 23), Commander Euphraim Jayson Diciano, head of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said they have identified the vessel suspected of transporting the shipment

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“We cannot disclose its name yet since efforts to establish its current location continue,” Diciano said.

Authorities were also looking into the possibility that the vessel came from Taiwan, although its origin had yet to be confirmed.

“It appears that the vessel was unable to unload all its cargo before leaving the site. They also left a crane behind. It is possible that some intervening factor forced them to stop unloading, but we have yet to establish what happened,” he added.

The vessel’s automatic identification system (AIS), which transmits a ship’s identity and location, was reportedly switched off.

Earlier, Donaver Guevarra, head of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Masinloc, said a boatman associated with their office who lives in San Salvador Island in Masinloc spotted the vessel arriving around 11 p.m. on Monday and leaving about 3 a.m. on Tuesday.

During a patrol conducted on Tuesday morning, a protected area officer spotted the containers and a crane at the site, prompting personnel to inspect the premises.

READ: ‘Smuggled’ cigarettes worth P65,000 seized, van driver nabbed in ZambalesThe pier where the shipment was unloaded has been under a Department of Environment and Natural Resources cease-and-desist order since 2022 for lacking an environmental compliance certificate and other required permits.

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It is located within the Masinloc and Oyon Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape, a protected area covering portions of Masinloc and Palauig. /coa