Mariveles, Bataan –  A foreign cargo ship coming from Turkey and carrying 50 high-powered assault rifles was held here last Thursday afternoon, with authorities detaining the crew of 14 Georgians and Africans for questioning.

Senior Supt. Manuel Gaerlan, Bataan police director, said that the vessel with marking “Capt Ufuk” originated from the Port of Georgia and dropped anchor in Indonesia before proceeding to the Port of Mariveles for unknown reasons. Its cargo was bound for the Port of Batangas.

Gaerlan said that when police and Customs officials checked the ship, it was found carrying 50 Pindad SS1-V1 assault rifles and other military accessories placed in five wooden crates.

Ten other wooden crates, however, had been emptied, raising suspicions that their contents had been disposed of before authorities held the ship.

“We are concerned more about the contents of the 10 empty crates as these maybe also loaded with high-powered firearms that might have probably been unloaded and went to the hands of terrorists or other lawless elements,” Gaerlan said.

He said that his men are intensifying their intelligence gathering and set up checkpoints on the highways, hoping to intercept the illegal shipment of assault rifles.

Supt. Rommell Velasco, Mariveles chief of police, reported that joint operatives of Customs and the Philippine National Police discovered the guns without necessary papers hidden inside the wooden crates, as the ship anchored off Mariveles waters for a “port call” at around 3 p.m. Thursday.

“The Customs personnel alerted us when they noticed the boxes of guns, so we assisted them and found out that the cache of assault rifles and other military gadget, so we held the ship and its crews composed of Africans and Georgian nationals,” said Velasco.

Police identified the ship captain as Lawrence John, a South African, while the 13 other crew members are said to be Georgians.

In the past several years, billions worth of smuggled oil had been apprehended in this port, raising suspicion that this port is being used by high-profile smugglers who are in cahoots with Customs officials.

BoC Commissioner Napoleon Morales said the weapons on board MV captain Ufuk arrived in Mariveles without notice and documents. “This is clearly a case of gun smuggling. A vessel that enters a port needs a 24 hour notice but there was none on the case of MV Captain Ufuk.”

The Panamanian flag carrier was manned by a South African captain identified as John Lawrence and 13 Georgian crew members. Based on reports, the ship originated from Turkey then proceeded to Indonesia. It had a course plotted for Batangas.

Lawyer Elvie Cruz, district collector of the Mariveles subport located west of Manila, issued the warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) on the firearms including the vessel for violation of section 2530 of Tariffs and Customs of the Philippines (TCCP).