Government agents seized a smuggled shipment containing more than P16 million worth of party drugs ecstasy from Belgium.
A composite team from Port of Clark, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force, and Enforcement Security Service, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) also conducted a controlled delivery operation on Friday resulting in the arrest of the shipment’s claimant.
The authorities did not identify the name of the suspect but said the claimant is a resident of Barangay Tatalon, Quezon City.
During X-ray inspection and physical examination on Nov. 3, Customs examiners discovered the prohibited drugs – 9,917 and approximately 31 broken tablets of ecstasy worth P16, 911, 600 – hidden inside four bed sheets from the shipment declared as “Bed Sheets, Lady Bag, Watch, Shoes, Cloth” shipped from Brussels.
“Samples were turned over to PDEA for the conduct of chemical laboratory analysis which confirmed that the tablets were indeed Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or Ecstasy,” said Clark District Collector Alexandra Lumontad in a statement. Joel E. Zurbano
Two days later, the Customs men with the help of PDEA made the entrapment leading to the claimant’s arrest.
Collector Lumontad issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the shipment for violation of Section 1400 of Republic Act 10863 otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
The seized illegal drugs will be turned over to PDEA pursuant to Customs Administrative Order No. 03-2020 and the claimant will be subjected to inquest proceedings.
Customs personnel have been apprehending illegal drug shipments in compliance to the directive of Bureau of Customs commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrrero to secure the borders and the anti-drug campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Just recently, Customs – Manila airport operatives also intercepted three smuggled shipments containing ecstasy and ketamine drugs worth more than P8 million in separate operations in Pasay City.
Two shipments, which came from the Netherlands and Germany, and consigned to a certain Angeli Khang and one Patricia Reyes, respectively, were misdeclared as “Children’s Toys, Children’s School Bag, Hot Water Bottle, Children’s Shoes, Children’s Hat, Children’s Color, and Pencils”.
But when Customs examiners placed the shipments under 100 percent physical examination, they discovered a total of 4,547 pieces of ecstasy, a dangerous party drug, worth P7, 559, 900.
The authorities also found 178.5 grams of ketamine worth P892, 500 concealed inside a water filter from the third package shipped from Malaysia and consigned to a certain “Ferdie Santos”.
The authorities conducted the operations at the Federal Express warehouse and Central Mail Exchange Center, both in Pasay City.