CLARK FREEPORT – An attempt to smuggle 994 grams of shabu estimated at P6,759,200 has been foiled by the Bureau of Customs-Port of Clark in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency—Airport Interdiction Unit (PDEA-AIU).
Originating from Bujumbura, East Africa and destined for Cavite City, the shipment was subjected to enhanced X-ray screening by the BOC’s X-ray Inspection Project, which prompted a physical examination. Customs officers then uncovered a brown box containing a metal wheel bearing with four packages wrapped in brown packing tape, each filled with a white crystalline substance suspected to be methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.
Samples were submitted to the PDEA for laboratory analysis, which verified the substance as shabu, a prohibited drug under the amended provisions of RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act).
A warrant of seizure and detention was issued for the shipment for violation of Sections 118(g), 119(d), and 1113 paragraphs (f), (i), and (l) (3 and 4) of RA 10863 (Customs Modernization and Tariff Act), in relation to RA 9165, as amended.
District collector Jairus S. Reyes commended the dedication of BOC-Port of Clark personnel and partner agencies. “This operation reflects our team’s vigilance and strong inter-agency collaboration in keeping illegal drugs out of the country.”
The operation led by the BOC-Clark in coordination with the Clark Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group, the Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Group, the National Bureau of Investigation-Pampanga District Office, the Department of Justice, and Barangay Dau officials in Mabalacat City, Reyes said, “embodies the collective resolve of the Philippine government, under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s whole-of-government approach to intensify the national campaign against illicit activities that threaten public safety and compromise national integrity.”
Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio emphasized that the BOC’s commitment goes beyond its core mandates of revenue collection and trade facilitation. “Customs plays a vital role in protecting the general welfare of the Filipino people.” BOC-Clark
