ZAMBOANGA CITY, June 20 -- The Philippine Navy's Western Mindanao Naval Command (WMNC) on Friday turned over to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) - Port of Zamboanga, more than PHP93 million worth of confiscated smuggled foreign-brand cigarettes.

In a report on Saturday, the WMNC said the smuggled cigarettes were intercepted by the Naval Task Force-61 and its operational units during separate operations in the Sulu Sea on Thursday night.

The WMNC said that in the first operation, Navy personnel intercepted the M/B Aslinda manned by a five-man crew southeast of Cabucan Island, Hadji Panglima Tahil in Sulu.

M/B Aslinda, skippered by a certain Hajil, was carrying 305 master cases of undocumented foreign-brand cigarettes valued at PHP47.5 millio...