Pirates Take Over Boat Carrying Smuggled Cigarettes, 7 Persons Missing
The voyage of the boat carrying smuggled cigarettes was interrupted when men aboard smaller motorized boats approached them, forcing them to abandon ship.
File Photo
Seven out of the 11 seafarers, who were tasked with delivering smuggled cigarettes, have been reported missing since Monday following an attack by pirates in the western waters of Maguindanao del Norte. The pirates not only stripped them of their merchandise but also compelled them to leap off their vessel.
Fishermen rescued four of the men—Rasiden Asdali, Tawasil Jumadil, Yahya Hadjulani, and Gadjer Sampang—as they swam towards a barangay in Datu Blah Sinsuat town along the coast of Maguindanao del Norte.
These individuals are currently in the custody of local law enforcement.
The four boatmen, hailing from the Tausug community, told authorities at the Datu Blah Sinsuat Municipal Police Station that their intended task was to transport 100 large boxes of cigarettes bearing Indonesian brands from Zamboanga Sibugay.
However, their voyage was interrupted when men aboard smaller motorized boats approached them, forcing them to abandon ship and towing their vessel towards Bongo Island, which falls within the jurisdiction of Parang town in Maguindanao del Norte.
According to the boatmen’s testimony to the police, seven of their companions who had jumped into the sea ahead of them are currently unaccounted for.
“We have informed the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and the Maritime police unit in Cotabato City about the disappearance of seven of the individuals accompanying the four men currently under our custody,” stated Captain Abdulbasit Kulod, the chief of Datu Blah Sinsuat MPS, during a press briefing on Tuesday morning.
Kulod further mentioned that local authorities in Datu Blah Sinsuat have pledged to assist in facilitating the return of Asdali, Jumadil, Hadjulani, and Sampang to their families residing in Zamboanga City.
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