COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Personnel of the 5th Marine Battalion on Sunday foiled an attempt to smuggle from Sulu some P3 million worth of cigarettes and other consumer goods to the seaside Malabang town in Lanao del Sur.
Army Maj. Gen. Diosdado Carreon of the anti-crime Task Force Central said Monday four boatmen—Usman Hadjirul, 37; Madjid Hussin Pustahan, 35; Omar Hadjirul, 40; and the 26-year-old Faisal Amat—have been detained.
Their 17-year-old companion is now in the joint custody of the police and the social welfare office of Malabang.
Carreon, commander of the Army's 6th Infantry Division that has tactical control of Marine units in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur provinces, said the Marines spotted the small watercraft from Sulu approaching Barangay Mable in Malabang.
The Marines stopped the delivery of the smuggled merchandise with the help of local officials.