ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Authorities have intercepted some PHP900,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes and arrested three persons in this southern port city, an official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Wednesday.
Lawyer Moises Tamayo, NBI 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) director, said the smuggled cigarettes were intercepted in Barangay Zone 4 at about 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday by a team of NBI, Philippine Coast Guard, and Bureau of Customs personnel.
Tamayo said the cigarettes were intercepted on board two hatchback cars a few meters outside the local port, following information that a shipment of smuggled items was set to arrive here from Jolo, Sulu on Wednesday.
He said one of the two cars was loaded with 18 master cases of cigarettes, and the other with 12 cases for a total of 30.
The identities of the three arrested were withheld pending the filing of formal charges against them.
Tamayo said the packs of confiscated cigarettes bore the markings “locally manufactured” and “for export” and with the same brand name as Philippine-made tobacco products, but without the official logo.
“If it is locally manufactured, there should be a seal of rentas internas,” he said, citing the owner needs to pay excise tax to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
He said the owner or shipper of the cigarette will be liable for violation of the customs code, national internal revenue code, and possibly intellectual property rights. (PNA)
