Police seize P4-M smuggle rice at Zamboanga wharf

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Police forces have intercepted a motor launch loaded with 4,000 sacks of smuggled rice in a private wharf in this city, an official said Tuesday.

Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, commanding officer of the Zamboanga City Public Safety Company (ZCPSC), said the smuggled rice was confiscated from M/L Princess Sibutu which came from Tawi-Tawi.

Huesca said his team, backed by the elements of the 3rd Mobile Company of the Regional Police Safety Battalion 9 (RPSB) led by Chief Inspector Nazier Alonzo Halil, launched the operation after detecting the motor launch suspiciously unloading several sacks of rice (of 25-kilo each) at the Petron wharf in Baliwasan Seaside.

He said the raiding team confiscated at least 4,000 sacks of rice with brand name “AAA” reportedly shipped by a certain Alnezar Usman, who failed to present pertinent documents to the authorities.

The police official said the smuggled rice has an estimated market value of P4 million.

He said the owner of the seized motor launch identified as Jul-Arab Akan, who is a resident of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi province, also failed to present a manifest of the cargoes.

The seized smuggled sacks of rice have been turned over to the Bureau of Customs.