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Friday, March 29, 2024

Marijuana shipment seized at NAIA-CMEC

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Customs agents at Manila airport made a series of drug busts in two weeks that netted three smuggled shipments of liquid and high grade marijuana.

The latest was the seizure of a parcel containing 533 grams of kush or high-grade marijuana worth P852,000 in Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City on Wednesday.

Based on its import manifest, the parcel was declared as five pieces of clothes and was shipped from California, USA to a certain Aura Talob of Davao City.

Field test conducted by the Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed that the seized goods were kush marijuana.

Last Saturday, Customs operatives intercepted another shipment of cannabis smuggled from Canada worth more than P800,000 and arrested its claimant identified as Kevin dela Cruz, while a shipment of 62 pieces of vape juice catridges, with liquid marijuana from Amsterdam, Netherlands, was seized on Sept. 1.

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The three seizures made by agents of the Customs – Ninoy Aquino International Airport brings to 97 the total number of drug busts at the airport since January 2018.

Previous kush seizures of Customs NAIA this year happened on Jan. 20 when 112 grams was intercepted, June 22 (1,954 grams), and on July 15 (1,044 grams) all coming from the United States and were declared as “chocolates”, “green tea” and “streetwear,” respectively.

These apprehensions and seizures are part of the continuing efforts of the bureau under the leadership of Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero to stop the illegal importation of drugs and other anti-social goods.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Customs NAIA frontliners are on 24/7 work schedule even during weekends and holidays to collect government revenue, facilitate trade, and guard the country’s border against all fraudulent attempts to bring in illegal goods into the country.

From 2018 to 2019, airport and Customs authorities were also able to arrest at least 15 foreigners for trying to smuggle cocaine and other prohibited drugs at the NAIA.

The bureau is also conducting a series of training to Customs examiners and police on how to conduct proper profiling of incoming and out-going passengers bringing illegal drugs and highly taxable items at the airport because they are not allowed to open luggage and just rely on the expertise of personnel with the help of X-ray machines.

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