Personnel of the Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao intercepted P8 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during a maritime patrol off Pata Island in Sulu province on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
Authorities reported that upon boarding and inspection, the team found that the vessel and its cargo were operating without the required documents and were not displaying the markings mandated under the government’s Safety, Security, and Environmental Numbering System. Coast guard operatives towed the vessel and its cargo to Coast Guard Station-Sangali in Zamboanga City for custody, inventory, and proper disposition.