The authorities have seized a more than P100-million
shipment of imported smuggled rice as they intercepted four vessels, including
a foreign-owned, in the Sulu waters, an official announced Monday.
At the same time, the troops have seized high-power firearms
consisting of seven M-14 rifles and five M-16 Armalite rifles including two
with attached M-203 grenade launchers.
Capt. Ma. Rowena Muyuela, Western Mindanao Command
(Westmincom) information officer, said the four vessels loaded with 131,000
sacks of 25 kilos each or 3,275 metric tons of imported rice were intercepted
around 3:25 a.m. Monday near Pata
Island
The intercepted rice shipment has an estimate value of
P104.8 million.
Muyuela said that 116,000 of the 131,000 sacks of imported
rice were seized aboard a Vietnamese vessel named M/V An Bien-89-ACLI skippered
by Nguyen Van Loi with 16 Vietnamese crewmen.
Muyuela said the remaining 15,000 sacks of imported rice
were seized aboard three locally-owned vessels namely: M/L KH with 11 crews and
79 laborers, 7,000 sacks; M/L Fatima Nurmina with 12 crews and 55 laborers,
1,000 sacks; and, M/L Boy-I manned by seven crewmen, 7,000 sacks.
She said one of the seven M-14 rifles and one M-16 rifle with
attached M-203 grenade launcher were seized aboard M/L Fatima Nurmina and the
remaining six M-14 rifles and four M-16 rifles including one with attached
M-203 grenade launchers aboard M/L Boy-I.
She said the Joint Task Group Sulu troops were on seaborne patrol
when they intercepted the four vessels west of Pata Island
Muyuela said the four vessels are being escorted to this
city to be turned over to the proper agencies of government for appropriate
action.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=738176
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