By CESAR JOLITO III

Personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) – Southern Negros Occidental intercepted around 100 boxes of assorted smuggled cigarettes at Old Pantalan in Negros Occidental’s Sipalay City on Thursday, November 27, in what authorities believe to be a large-scale cigarette smuggling run from Mindanao.

PCG – Southern Negros Occidental commander Lt. Junior Grade James Carbajosa confirmed that a pre-dawn interdiction was acted upon an intelligence report about illicit goods being transported by sea.

Responding teams arrived as six crew members and about 15 other individuals were unloading the cargo from a motorized vessel.

However, the suspects immediately fled toward a nearby mountain area upon seeing law enforcers.

The abandoned boat, believed to have come from Basilan, was battered by strong waves, causing several boxes to spill along the shoreline.

Coast Guard personnel subsequently conducted a cleanup operation to secure all the recovered contraband.

Carbajosa said the haul was likely intended for distribution across Negros Occidental, noting that the operation reflects the Coast Guard’s heightened efforts to deter the entry of illicit goods into the province.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue is now conducting an inventory to determine the total value of the seized cigarettes.

All suspects remain unidentified and at large as investigations continue./CJ, WDJ