The intercepted illegal drugs worth P17.04 million and placed in ‘tamarind balls’, including 44 cannabis oil cartridges from the US. Photo courtesy of Customs-NAIA
P17M worth of drug ‘parcels’ seized by Customs, NAIA
THE Bureau of Customs intercepted shabu and cannabis “parcels” worth P17.04 million intercepted by anti-drugs operatives.
The Inter-Government Agency composed of the Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Customs-NAIA) Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG) said the illegal drugs were intercepted in two outbound and four inbound parcels Friday, December 9, 2022).
The official statements said the two shipments bound for New Zealand, declared as “Kix Shield Thick Foam” and “Kix Shield for Taekwondo,” contained a white crystalline substance wrapped in black duct tape and aluminum foil with aluminum foil plastic concealed inside the thick foam of the kick shields.
The “shabu”, which weighed at least 828.8 grams with an estimated value of P5.6 million, was found in both packages.
Likewise, four inbound parcels intercepted at Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) contained 1,676 grams of shabu found in a package from Mexico and concealed in a “tamarind ball” with an estimated value of P11.4 million.
A total of 44 cartridges containing cannabis oil were also found in three packages from the USA.
The illegal drugs are now under the custody of the PDEA, and further investigation is underway to apprehend the people behind the illicit trade. They will be charged with violating Republic Act (RA) No. 916, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and RA 10863, or the Customs Modernization And Tariff Act (CMTA).
