Joint operatives of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Zamboanga City police have intercepted P8 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in last November 2.
In a Saturday Facebook post, the BoC said the agents seized 207 cases of Arthur cigarettes onboard a white van during an anti-smuggling operation in Barangay Baliwasan.
The operation was launched following a tip that such vehicle was carrying contraband.
The raid was conducted by elements of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) and the Enforcement and Security Service Customs Police Division (ESS-CPD), the Regional Special Operating Group (RSOG), CIU-Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO), and Police Station 11 (PS11).
BoC district collector Segundo Sigmundfreud Barte Jr. attributed the successful operation to the creation of a strengthened Task Force for Anti-Smuggling Operations.
The vehicle and the smuggled cigarettes were placed under the custody of the BoC for proper inventory and disposition.
