Coast Guard's K-9 unit foils attempt to smuggle firecrackers

The Philippine Coast Guard's K-9 unit (a Coast guard team with a police dog) has foiled an attempt to smuggle firecrackers from Batangas to Mindoro late Sunday. The Coast Guard said a police dog has sniffed out the firecrackers aboard a Gasat Bus before it boarded a Starlite Navigator roll-on-roll-off (RORO) vessel. "K-9 named 'Courage' detected the three boxes of firecrackers. The PCG has intensified inspection of vessels, vehicles, passengers and their baggages in view of the national barangay elections, school break, and fast approaching UNDAS (All Saints)," the Coast Guard said on its website Monday. The initial investigation showed that the RORO vessel was bound for Calapan (Mindoro) when the K-9 detected the explosives at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Following the discovery, the Coast Guard reiterated its appeal to the riding public to be vigilant against such smuggling attempts. It also asked the public to report to its personnel any suspicious personalities, bags left unattended, and violations of safety rules. "The riding public are enjoined to report to nearby Coast Guard Station/Detachment or Boarding Team any suspicious personalities or unattended baggages or violations of safety regulations such as overloading or lack of lifejackets on board ship," the Coast Guard said. –VVP, GMANews.TV