10 kilos of blasting caps found in Ozamiz vessel

ZAMBOANGA CITY - The military's Southern Command seized 10 kilos of blasting caps packed in two cartons aboard a passenger vessel in Ozamiz City last Saturday morning, believed intended for new trainees of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Col. Hilario Atendido, South-com spokesman, said Army soldiers with K-9 dogs found the blasting caps abandoned at the crew billeting area of M/V Trans-Asian Ship Thai at about 7 a.m.

Government authorities suspect that the blasting caps were intended for MILF terrorists based in Ozamiz City.

Last February, more than 40 people were killed and scores of others were wounded when bombs ripped through two passenger buses aboard a barge docked at the Ozamiz pier.

The military tagged separatist Moro guerrillas for the bomb attack.

This developed as joint intelligence operatives of the Naval Forces South, Task Force Aduana and the National Bureau of Investigation seized about 15 million worth of contraband and firearms in three separate raids here last week.

Commodore Elonor Padre, Naval Forces South chief, said part of the confiscated goods, worth about P4.5 million, was found aboard M/V Mary Joy 2 last Friday afternoon.

The vessel, which came from Sandakan, Malaysia, was intercepted as it was approaching the Zamboanga City port.

The raiding team found inside the vessel 400 sacks of Korean sugar, 2,400 boxes of Rinzo powder soap, 10,000 VCD tapes, 93 bales of used clothing, 60 radio cassette recorders and 34 plastic containers of flower-inducer chemicals, Padre said.

The seized items were turned over to the Bureau of Customs for inventory and proper disposition.

Last Thursday, intelligence agents arrested an alleged big-time smuggler, Hadji Tahil Hamsherol, 34, during a raid on his house in Barangay Guiwan here.

Smuggled goods and firearms - an M-16 rifle, a 9-mm. pistol and an MK-90 pistol, plus 30 M-16 bullets and three loaded 9-mm. magazines - worth about P2 million were seized from him, the NBI said.