Operatives of the Joint Task Group Zamboanga and Philippine
Navy have intercepted late Thursday an estimated PHP12.6 million shipment of
smuggled sugar off this city.
The apprehension came three days after Mayor Ma. Isabelle
Climaco-Salazar has challenged the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and all law
enforcement agencies to put a stop to smuggling activities and run after the
smugglers once and for all.
Special Agent Orlando Sangid, chief of the local customs
police, on Friday said the troops were on patrol when they spotted a
wooden-hulled vessel sailing towards the coast of Barangay
Recodo , 14.45 kilometers west of City Hall.
Sangid said the troops found the vessel, M/L Nurhuda, was
loaded with at least 7,000 sacks of imported sugar of 50 kilos each with no
pertinent documents.
He said the estimated market value of the shipment is
PHP12.6 million. The sugar was believed to have been produced in Thailand
He said the shipment of the smuggled sugar came from Sandakan , Sabah , based on
the last port of call of M/L Nurhuda, which has 13 crewmen aboard.
The vessel and its cargoes were turned over to the BoC for
appropriate action.
Salazar, who made the challenged to run after smugglers, has
deplored the rampant smuggling of domestic sugar from Thailand
Salazar said the local sugar farmers, who are already
suffering from the effects of El Niño, will further lose their livelihood if
smuggling of sugar will not be stopped.
Salazar bewailed the local industry is greatly affected
since Thai sugar is sold in the local market at PHP1,300 to PHP1,500 per
25-kilo sack against the locally produced sugar at PHP2,600 per 25-kilo sack.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=863182
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