P125-M smuggled rice seized off Sibugay
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Around 50,000 sacks of rice with an estimated value of P125 million were seized from a cargo ship in the waters off Olutanga, Zamboanga Sibugay on Sunday.
Capt. Ronnie Gil Gavan of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Southwestern Mindanao said they intercepted MV J-Phia at about 9:30 p.m.
“The cargo ship switched off its radar. Our personnel suspected something was anomalous, prompting them to intercept the ship,” Gavan said.
At least 18 crewmembers were arrested for failing to present any document. The PCG escorted the cargo ship to the Zamboanga port for further investigation.
Authorities said they received intelligence reports on the transfer of smuggled rice from one ship to another in the high seas off Sulu.
The PCG will conduct an inventory of the seized items before turning them over to the Bureau of Customs for disposition and filing of charges against the ship owner.
The ship captain said its last port of call was Cagayan de Oro.
However, the PCG-CDO said there was no record that the vessel departed from the port.
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