Customs seizes P749M worth of shabu concealed in balikbayan boxes

Operatives of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized a shipment found to contain illegal drugs at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

On Thursday, Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno led the inspection of the shipment, which was seized following an inspection which uncovered 110.24 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu concealed within four boxes, with an estimated value of P749.63 million.

The MICP's Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) flagged the shipment, declared as household goods and personal effects which originated from the US, on June 13 for manual inspection due to “derogatory information” that the boxes were “suspected to contain illegal drugs.”

The shipment arrived at the MICP on June 6 onboard the vessel OOCL UTAH 075W, according to the MICP-CIIS.

Samples from the shipment in question were submitted to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for confirmatory testing, which later confirmed that the recovered substances were indeed methamphetamine hydrochloride.

The BOC said the seized shipment will be turned over to the PDEA for further investigation in relation to violations of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and RA 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

MICP District Collector Rizalino Jose Torralba cited cooperation among the agency’s enforcement units, noting that the operation reflected the effectiveness of strengthened profiling measures and inter-agency coordination.

“We will not allow criminal elements to exploit balikbayan privileges and tarnish the trust of our overseas Filipinos. This seizure underscores our commitment to protecting the country and its people,” said Nepomuceno. —VAL/VBL, GMA Integrated News