Photo courtesy by Bureau of Custom
THE Bureau of Custom Port of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as part of the NAIA Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-DITG) on February 24, 2022 seized ecstacy tablets and cannabis oils worth P926,075.00 in the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC), Pasay City.
A total of four shipments were intercepted and through stringent examination procedures yielded the illegal substances.
The first shipment orginated from Germany which contained 394 pieces of ecstacy tablets with an estimated total amount of Php 669,800. The second shipment orginated from the United States of America and were discovered to contain 425 grams of suspected cannabis and cannabis oils estimated to have a market value of P247,200. Another two shipments were also intercepted in FEDEX and DHL Warehouses which contained Cannabis Oils which were declared as vitamins and vape cartridges containg cannabis extract.
All shipments were turned over to PDEA for further investigation and profiling for violation RA10863 also known as the Customs Modernisation and Tariff Act (CMTA) and RA9165 also known as the Comprehensive Drug Act of the Philippines.
Last January 31, 2022, a claimant was arrested with the combined efforts of the NAIA-DITG for the illegal importation of parcels of cannabis oil amounting to an estimated value of Php 85,299.12. The Port of NAIA and BOC Commssioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero were also recognized by PDEA for its efforts in the successful capmaign against illegal drugs in NAIA.
In 2021, the Port of NAIA was able to conduct 57 successful drug-related busts in partnership with NAIA-Inter Agency Task Group, compared to the 31 drug busts in 2019, and 43 drug busts in 2020.
BOC-NAIA remains committed in support anti-illegal drug efforts as part of the directive of BOC Commissioner Rey. Leonardo B. Guerrero.(Jun I. Legaspi)
Customs-NAIA and PDEA personnel examine the recovered contrabands