P23.5M worth of ecstasy concealed in coffee, kids' toys seized in Pasay

Bureau of Customs personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted over 13,000 ecstasy tablets with an estimated street value of P23,500,800 in Pasay City on Monday.

In a statement, the BOC said the seven packages containing 13,824 ecstasy tablets were seized at the Central Mail Exchange Center warehouse.

The contraband, which was reportedly shipped from Netherlands and Belgium to different consignees, was misdeclared as coffee and kids’ toys.

Customs examiners were able to uncover the misdeclaration upon physical examination.

The BOC also said field tests conducted by Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed that the seized tablets were methylenedioxymethamphetamine or also known as ecstasy.

The BOC said the “suspicious” weight of the packages and the discovered modus operandi of smuggling illegal drugs through coffee beans from other countries in July prompted Customs personnel to subject more parcels to rigid document profilings, x-ray scanning, and inspections.

The BOC already turned over the seized illegal drugs to PDEA for further profiling and case build up against the importers and other individuals involved for possible prosecution for violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 in relation to Section 1401 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.—AOL, GMA News