Personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard Aduana Substation found out that instead of eggplants, as per the cargo’s manifest, the five balikbayan boxes contained what looked like smuggled cigarettes with an estimated market value of P1 million. | Photo courtesy of PCG-7
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Enforcers here seized over P1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes inside a passenger ship docked in Pier 1 last February 8.
The Philippine Coast Guard in Central Visayas (PCG-7) reported on February 11 that personnel from their Aduana substation intercepted a misdeclared cargo containing what looked like smuggled cigarettes.
In a statement, they said the cargo, initially declared as five balikbayan boxes of eggplants, instead contained 10,280 packs of cigarettes manufactured overseas.
The smuggled goods, which were bound for Cagayan de Oro City, had an estimated market value of P1,028,000, PCG-7 said.
Coast Guard authorities did not divulge the identity of the individual named on the manifest issued pending follow-up investigations. They have also turned over the smuggled goods to the Bureau of Customs for proper disposal.
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