ZAMBOANGA CITY: A cargo vessel loaded with 1,500 sacks of sugar believed to have been smuggled from Malaysia was seized on Easter Sunday in Zamboanga City.
Government authorities intercepted the sugar shipment from M/T Fatima-Radz Auna in the waters off Barangay Arena Blanco, a report from the Customs Intelligence Group (CIG) said.
The CIG report said the motor launch was loaded with imported sugar worth P3.15 million, with each sack containing 50 kilos of sugar.
“The smuggled sugar came from Sandakan, Sabah. The vessel has nine crew onboard,” it said.
The Intelligence Group, however, did not identify the owner and operator of M/T Fatima-Radz Auna.
The vessel and its cargoes were brought to the Port of Zamboanga for turn over to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for appropriate action.
Just last February, Task Force Zamboanga and the Navy intercepted motor launches carrying smuggled sugar off the coast of Barangay Arena Blanco. Naming a few, among these vessels were M/L Alkausar and M/L Fadzramar, they said.
Early this month, 7,000 sacks of undocumented sugar with an estimated value of P12.6 million were seized from wooden-hulled M/L Nurhada.
Authorities are alarmed over the rampant sugar smuggling in western Mindanao, particularly in Zamboanga City.
This proves be true when smugglers took advantage of the Easter celebration to transport the imported sugar aboard M/T Fatima-Radz Auna without the required documents.
