AGENTS of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) seized at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) more than P199.7 million worth of suspected illegal drugs concealed in a shipment declared as personal effects from Canada.
The shipment, made up of 15 boxes, was intercepted at a BOC warehouse in Pasay City after X-ray screening revealed suspicious images, prompting a full physical examination.
The inspection yielded 28,324 grams of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu packed in 28 cans in six boxes, with an estimated street value of P192.603 million.
Another box yielded around 4,746 grams of suspected high-grade marijuana, or kush, valued at P7.119 million.
Authorities also discovered 20 towels and 20 duvets suspected of containing liquid methamphetamine.
PDEA laboratory tests on samples from the seized substances confirmed the shipment contained methamphetamine hydrochloride and cannabis.
The operation was led by Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno and carried out with PDEA and various enforcement units, including the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force, Enforcement and Security Service, X-ray Inspection Project, and NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group.
BOC-NAIA District Collector Yasmin Mapa also reaffirmed the port’s vigilance in screening incoming shipments and preventing attempts to use the country’s main international gateway for drug smuggling.
