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John Unson - Philstar.com
May 4, 2026 | 5:47pm
The smuggled cigarettes seized by a team from the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao and personnel of the Police Regional Office 11 are now in the custody of the Bureau of Customs.
Photo courtesy of Philstar.com / John Unson
COTABATO CITY — A Navy team and police officers seized P52 million worth of imported cigarettes in a seaborne anti-smuggling operation in the municipal waters of Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental, on Friday night, May 1.
Senior officials of the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao (NFEM) and the Police Regional Office 11 confirmed on Monday the confiscation of 1,246 boxes of cigarettes from Indonesia aboard M/B Bukal, which was intercepted during an offshore operation by a Navy team 8.5 miles off the coastal town of Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental.
Radio reports said the P52 million worth of imported cigarettes were turned over to the Bureau of Customs in Region 11 for proper disposition.
Commodore Ireneo D. Batung, commander of NFEM, said the impounded M/B Bukal is now berthed at a pier in Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Panacan, Davao City.
Police investigators and NFEM intelligence units said the vessel is owned by Latip Kader Saipol, who is reportedly linked to large-scale suppliers of smuggled cigarettes in the neighboring provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
The seven detained crew members of M/B Bukal told authorities that the 1,246 boxes of Indonesian-made cigarettes came from Sulu and were allegedly intended for retailers in coastal areas of Governor Generoso and nearby towns in Davao Oriental.
