Navy teams seized P63.9 million worth of cigarettes, rice, and sugar from abroad in seaborne operations in the past three weeks in the territorial seas of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces. The contraband, which included P45.4 million worth of rice and sugar from Malaysia and P18.5 million worth of cigarettes from Indonesia, was found on three small seacrafts that were intercepted by personnel of the Western Mindanao Naval Command. The smuggled goods were turned over to the Bureau of Customs, and the successful operations were attributed to the vigilance of the naval elements and the support of local executives in the region. The Western Mindanao Naval Command expressed gratitude to municipal and provincial officials in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi for their support in the anti-smuggling operations.
