Units of the National Navy in development of operations of military search and control dealt a heavy blow to the contraband by finding 1,073 boxes containing cigarettes with 536,500 individual packets, valued at more than 3 billion pesos. The material was being transported illegally, in the Colombian boat 'Johnny'.
The contraband merchandise that apparently came from Panama and would be distributed in different municipalities of the Pacific coast, was found inside a motorboat when it sailed in the area of Juradó, in the department of Chocó, by Rapid Reaction Units of the Coast Guard Station of Bahía Solano , and thanks to intelligence information provided by the National Police.
The timely information provided by the National Police, led the Coast Guard Station, to conduct the interdiction of the boat. They could verify that the merchandise did not have the regulatory documentation required by the Directorate of National Taxes and Customs, Dian.
Apparently, the material that was stored in warehouses was loaded by smaller ships and collected by the five crew members and the captain of the ship, who were captured and put into custody of of the Attorney General's Office, for the crime of favoring contraband. The authorities are investigating to determine who would be the owners of this cargo.
This joint and inter-agency procedure with the National Police establishes a historical operation in the fight against smuggling, culminating in 2018 with excellent results. This is how the Pacific Naval Force during the current year, immobilized 145 ships, more than 1,045 contraband goods, valued at more than 561 billion pesos.
Source: Pacific Naval Force
