The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has intercepted 17.96 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) and 1.03 kilos of marijuana estimated to be worth P133.6 million in Pasay City and in Clark, Pampanga.
Seized inside a cargo warehouse at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) were 15.96 kilos of shabu and 1.03 kilos of marijuana, while two kilos of shabu were apprehended at Clark International Airport (CRK), Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said in a press briefing on June 25.
The illegal drugs, which came from the United States, were concealed inside five inbound parcels at NAIA, the Customs chief said.
The packages, declared as DVD players, furniture, cereals, and baby carriers, were intercepted on different occasions from May 26, 2018 to June 7, 2018 at the country’s main international gateway, according to a report by NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan.
The five packages were sent by Taylor Dizon, Eagle Po Box Rental, Gina Gamboa, Raven Mesina, and Donna Mendoza, and consigned to Christina Dizon, Alvin Santiago, Sergio Gamboa Natividad, Gracen Washington, and Ricardo Mendoza.
The seized packages had been subjected to a controlled delivery to the consignees, but the operation was unsuccessful since the names and addresses of the consignees were fictitious.
Meanwhile, the two kilos of shabu seized on June 20 at CRK were estimated to be worth P13.6 million.
The shipment, declared as foam bedding and consigned to a certain Carlo Cruz Bintulan of Paranaque City, was seized after profiling and x-ray examination by customs authorities at CRK.
According to Clark district collector Atty. Lilibeth Sandag, BOC Clark executes the strict profiling of manifest and mandatory examination of all inbound shipments.
“The sender, Tanya Dela Cruz of North Hills, California, was also the sender of the seized shabu decoyed as cooking grill at the Port of Clark,” Lapeña said.
Sandag said the consignee’s name and address were fictitious, as the Carlo Cruz Bintulan who supposedly resided in Parañaque City could not be located.
“There are some circumstances when the package cannot be delivered to the consignee especially when the addresses are fictitious,” Lapeña said.
BOC said the recent and continuous apprehensions of illegal drugs and other contraband in airports are due to the use of x-ray examination and strict profiling.
Talusan said that their successful seizures of illegal drugs and other contraband lately were because BOC NAIA has been “very active in studying all the patterns,” including the port of origin, name of previous consignees, and the mode of concealment, and in creating a database of previous customs offenders.
She added that Customs is now more vigilant with its duties.
BOC NAIA has also been subjecting all cargoes, including check-in baggage and hand-carried items, to x-ray examination. Talusan noted that previously, hand-carried items were not x-rayed.
Lapeña said BOC will continue to install more x-ray machines at airports to further deter smuggling attempts, and hopes these will be procured within the year.
“Kasi kapag alam nila na makikita pala yung laman ng bagahe nila, including hand-carried… so that will deter yung smuggling,” the Customs chief said.
Moreover, Lapeña said he has signed a memorandum directing district collectors of airports that “all passengers being fetched by government officials will be subjected to mandatory x-ray scanning of their handheld items.”
He said this is to discourage the salubong (fetching) system, in which passengers met by government officials are, out of courtesy, allowed to pass without their hand-carried items being examined through x-ray.
Meanwhile, the seized illegal drugs were turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
