2 Indonesian sailors face smuggling charges

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – Two Indonesian seamen caught smuggling oil at the Poro Point seaport last January and their six Filipino cohorts are facing criminal charges at the Department of Justice.

Charged for violating the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines are Muhhamad Tahir, ship captain of "MTUG" Sungai Julan 1, and his chief engineer and fellow Indonesian, Ronel Situmpol.

The smuggling incident happened last January when security guards of the Poro Point Industrial Corp., a private port operator, caught the ship’s crew transferring crude oil from "MTUG" Sungai Julan 1 to a tanker at the Pier 2.

The tugboat was carrying 77,058 liters of crude oil. – Jun Elias