Friday, February 24, 2012

Navy seizes contraband off Sulu

The Philippine Navy said its men seized some 8,500 sacks of imported rice aboard a motor launch (ML) near Sulu.

The Navy said in an aggressive maritime patrol launched by joint operatives from the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM), ML Janna was spotted off Candea Point in Sulu and was later intercepted by joint operatives from PN fast craft DF341 together with other operatives from Naval Task Force 61 and Naval Intelligence Security Unit-63.

After a brief chase that ended in Indanan, Sulu, the operatives caught up with the boat as it tried to escape towards Indanan.

Following a Joint Board and Search Procedure implemented by the operatives at VJ Pier in Indanan, it was discovered that the vessel, registered to a certain Farishia A Pandangan ng Serantes of Jolo, Sulu, had a crew of nine and on it were some 8,500 sacks of Vietnamese Long Grain White Rice and other imported goods from Sandakan, Malaysia all undocumented and worth an estimated market value of P 6.205 million.

As part of the Board and Search Procedure, ML Janna and its crew were issued with a Boarding Certificate and Inspection Apprehension Report.
Currently, the crew, ML Janna, and its contraband have been turned over to the Bureau of Customs of Jolo Sulu.

It is anticipated that the crew might face smuggling raps in violation of Republic Act 1937 (Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines).

The series of aggressive maritime patrols and the resulting contraband apprehension by NFWM shows the PN’s serious drive to support Philippine national development through intensified anti-smuggling operations. It is estimated that millions of pesos are lost in customs taxes due to smuggling of various contraband into the country.
------------------------------------------------
Thursday, 23 February 2012 14:16
Daily Zamboanga Times 
Link

No comments:

Post a Comment

Featured Posts

AFP Modernization 2017: Highlights and Review

The modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines was on a roll this year, as we've seen a few big ticket items having completely...

Popular Posts