Ang Pahayagan

PAMPANGA–The Bureau of Customs (BOC) at the Port of Clark in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency—Airport Interdiction Unit (PDEA-AIU) successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle 994 grams of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride or “shabu,” with an estimated value of P6,759,200.00.

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 (4) 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 Methamphetamine Hydrochloride, a prohibited drug.

The joint operation led by the Port of Clark—Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force, is 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.

“This operation reflects our team’s vigilance and strong inter-agency collaboration in keeping illegal drugs out of the country,” BOC Clark District Collector Jairus S. Reyes said in a statement.

A Warrant of Seizure and Detention was also issued issued for the shipment for violation of Sections 118(g), 119(d), and 1113 paragraphs (f), (i), and (l) (3 and 4) of R.A. No. 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), in relation to R.A. No. 9165, as amended.(PR)