COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Navy units seized 3,460 boxes of imported cigarettes in separate offshore operations from Tuesday, February 24, in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat in Region 12 and, subsequently, in Basilan in the Bangsamoro region on Wednesday, February 25. Officials of the Western Mindanao Naval Command and the Bureau of Customs were still initiating procedural accounting of the seized contraband until Wednesday afternoon to determine its total value in Philippine currency. The boat was intercepted by a Navy team in a patrol boat while sailing towards the seaport in Kalamansig, one of the coastal towns in Sultan Kudarat province in Central Mindanao. WMNC officials told reporters that the crew of the M/B Skyblue was to deliver the smuggled cigarettes to beachfront areas in Basilan, a component province of BARMM, and in nearby Zamboanga City. The captains of both vessels have reportedly assured to identify the smugglers behind the foiled smuggling attempts for prosecution.
