THE Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao (CGDSWM) officially turned over Thursday, August 23, the confiscated P3.2 million worth of smuggled sugar to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Zamboanga City.
Captain Joseph Coyme, CGDSWM commander, and Lieutenant Commander Noriel Ramos, Zamboanga Coast Guard Station commander, spearheaded the turnover of the 1,642 sacks of smuggled sugar and the wooden-hulled vessel -- M/B Fatima Shakira -- after they completed the inventory of the confiscated contraband.
Each sack contains 50 kilos of sugar.
The shipment was intercepted on Sunday evening, August 19, hours after the Zamboanga Coast Guard Station received an information that a ship loaded with smuggled sugar is set to arrive in Zamboanga City via Malaysia.
The contraband and the vessel were received by lawyer Lyceo Martinez, district collector of the BOC in Zamboanga City.
The confiscation came as the government intensified its anti-smuggling campaign in the country's south.
Coyme said the official turnover "signifies the proper procedure and handling of all confiscated items from our custody to the proper authority, which is the Bureau of Customs, as a sign of our unified campaign against all forms of smuggling here in southern Philippines."
Martinez lauded the CGDSWM for its relentless efforts in helping the BOC address the problem on smuggling in Mindanao. (VoxPop Philippines)
