ZAMBOANGA CITY — The National Bureau of Investigation–Western Mindanao Regional Office (NBI-WEMRO) has confiscated 350 master cases of smuggled imported cigarettes worth an estimated ₱14,974,750, following a maritime interdiction and joint intelligence operation off the coast of Zamboanga City.
The successful seizure, part of the Bureau’s intensified anti-smuggling campaign, also resulted in the arrest of four individuals identified as Marlon Pulaon y Sallih, Jamar Sallih y Mohammad, Abner Jubail y Sallih, and Alfaik Sammy u Ladja.
The operation was launched after the Philippine Navy–Western Mindanao Naval Command provided intelligence on a suspicious motorized watercraft — a Jungkong vessel named “NURSHAIMA.” The boat was intercepted during a routine maritime patrol, prompting NBI agents to conduct a swift confirmatory investigation.
Authorities discovered that the crew members were transporting large volumes of imported cigarettes without any transport documentation or import clearances from regulatory agencies. The four suspects were immediately taken into custody, while the vessel and its illicit cargo were seized.
Criminal complaints have been filed against the suspects for violating Section 7(a) and Section 7(g) of Republic Act No. 12022, which cracks down on unauthorized importation and transportation of regulated products.
NBI Acting Director Atty. Angelito DLP Magno underscored the agency’s unwavering commitment to dismantling smuggling networks that threaten the country’s economy.
He stressed that smuggling “severely undermines local economies by distorting market prices, cripples government revenue, and fosters a climate of corruption,” adding that the NBI will continue to prioritize the suppression of such illegal activities nationwide.
The latest operation marks yet another major blow against illicit trade in Western Mindanao, a region long used as a transit route for smuggled tobacco products entering the country’s black market.