PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan – Law enforcement authorities in Palawan confiscated smuggled cigarettes worth around PHP2 million in a raid at Barangay Rio Tuba in Bataraza town on Wednesday afternoon.
A joint spot report issued by the Marine Battalion Landing Team-4 of the Naval Forces West (NAVFORWEST) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) here said over 10 individuals were also arrested from the 23 establishments they raided along Macadam Road and Gregorio Street in the said area.
The raid yielded 30 master cases or boxes of various cigarette brands allegedly smuggled from Malaysia through the backdoor in Balabac, a municipality located at the southernmost tip of the province.
Commodore Donn Anthony Miraflor, NAVFORWEST commander, said the operation was organized with the NBI to curb the widespread sale of contraband cigarettes, which is illegal under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
"This is part of our mandate kasi (because) all items, when imported from any foreign country shall be subject to duties. If you bring them to Palawan, they should be properly documented by our customs office. Nag-cooperate dito sa operation na ito with NBI para matigil na ito (We cooperated with NBI's operation to put a stop to this)," Miraflor told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday.
Miraflor said the operators of the establishments where smuggled cigarettes such as Astro, R.S., and Marvels were sold were aware of their illegal act but they still did it.
Before the raid, undercover operatives made test purchases to verify that the businesses were selling them, he said.
"Lantaran ang pagbebenta (The cigarettes were sold out in the open) as observed by our undercover personnel," he added.
Charges for violation of the CMTA will be filed against the arrested persons.
The seized goods are under the custody of the NBI. (PNA)
