Eleven individuals were arrested, and ₱1,530,000 worth of suspected smuggled diesel was confiscated in Brooke’s Point on the night of October 9.
The arrested individuals were identified as Shalah Khanzul, 58; Shalah Najid, 47; Mohammad Gider, 44; Mastul Jainuddin, 28; Asuncion Saudi, 60; Abbas Dexter, 20; Hji Nur Aldrin, 21; Masangkay Jerylee, 24; Akmad Nnoy, 44; Kalim Hosley, 61; and Buddin Rasli, 63, all residents of Barangay Mangsee, Balabac, Palawan.
They were apprehended while transporting 130 drums of diesel believed to have been smuggled from Kudat, Malaysia, without the necessary documents.
The suspects are now facing charges for violating Section 2 of Presidential Decree 1865, also known as “An Act Defining and Penalizing Certain Prohibited Acts Inimical to the Public Interests and National Security involving Petroleum and/or Petroleum Products, Prescribing Penalties Therefor and for Other Purposes.”
They are also charged under Sections 254, 263 (a), and 265 of Republic Act 8424, the “Tax Reform Act of 1997.”
Aside from the 130 drums of diesel, authorities also seized a blue motor launch marked “MB LADY HADZRAIMA-II,” estimated to be worth around ₱7,000,000.
