Chess pieces yield 2 kilos of marijuana in Port of Clark

The Bureau of Customs has seized over two kilos of high-grade marijuana or kush worth over P3.8 million at the Port of Clark.

The marijuana weighing 2,318 grams and worth an estimated P3,824,700 was concealed in chess furniture shipped from Bangkok

X-ray Inspection Project personnel initially flagged the shipment as suspicious and requested K9 sniffing from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which later on detected the presence of dangerous drugs.

The customs examiner discovered 56 packs of dried leaves and buds hidden inside large black chess pieces such as the king, queen, bishop, rook, knight, and pawn.

The BOC said the PDEA also confirmed that the samples were marijuana, a dangerous drug tagged under Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

BOC-Port of Clark District Collector Ricardo Uy Morales II issued a warrant of seizure and detention against the shipment for violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in relation to RA 9165.

“We will remain consistent and we will continue what we are doing in the frontline to guard our country’s borders against entry of illegal drugs,” he said in a statement. —NB, GMA Integrated News