15 foreigners charged for gun smuggling

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga, Philippines – Police have filed criminal charges against a Briton, a South African and 13 Georgian nationals in connection with the smuggling of high-powered firearms off the coast of Mariveles in Bataan recently.

Chief Superintendent Leon Nilo de la Cruz, Central Luzon police director, said charges of illegal possession of firearms were filed against Briton Bruce Jones, South African John Lawrence Burne and Georgian nationals Verdzadze Shalva, chief officer; Bejanidze Gocha, second officer; Shavishvili George, third officer; Lorthkipphanidze Eduard, chief engineer; Malakmadze Tamas, second engineer; Lorthkiphanidze Temur, third engineer; Malakmadze Albert, boson; Bakhtadze Rodam, A/B; Diamidze Gia, A/B; Makaradze Gia, A/B; Mskhaladze Damir and Pogosyan Venlentin, both oilers; and Makharadze Temuri, cook.

De la Cruz said the firearms seized on board the Panamanian-registered vessel M/V Captain Ufuk were still in the safekeeping of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

“By filing the charges against the suspects, the officers of BOC are now obliged to bring the confiscated firearms to the court,” Cruz told The STAR.

Fishermen spotted the M/V Captain Utuk last Aug. 19 off the Mariveles coast and immediately reported it to the police. A subsequent raid yielded high-powered firearms loaded in 14 crates.

Jones, the ship’s captain, was nowhere to be found when the authorities boarded the vessel. He had reportedly abandoned the ship and turned over his post to Burne.

Burne and the 13 Georgian nationals were taken to the Immigration Detention Center at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

De la Cruz said Jones is still being hunted down.

The other day, the Philippine Coast Guard found the yacht that allegedly helped smuggle the firearms from M/V Captain Ufuk, in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. – With Evelyn Macairan