P24-M worth of ecstasy from France seized in Pasay

Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña presents the arrested suspect and the illegal party drugs to the media. Photo courtesy of BOC

Officers of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized a total of P24.147 million worth of imported ecstasy from France in an operation conducted at the Central Mail Exchange Center of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Pasay City Friday.

Customs officers said the 14,204 tablets of ecstasy shipped in the country were hidden in a Central Processing Unit of a desktop computer, according to a statement from the BOC on Saturday.

P24-million worth of over 14,000 ecstasy tablets from France were seized by the BOC and authorities from NAIA in Pasay City Friday. @inquirerdotnet

— Cathrine Gonzales (@cgonzalesINQ) August 18, 2018

Authorities said they waited for the package to be picked up by a claimant identified as Joan Reynoso, 42, from Cavite City, after the shipment arrived in the country from France last August 4.

The confiscated party drugs will be taken to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for safekeeping and further investigation.

Airport officers said they have been foiling illegal drug shipments at Naia since the BOC upgraded its x-ray machines in cargo and passenger terminals.

The BOC also said it earlier confiscated P3.340-million worth of 962 pieces of ecstasy from the Netherlands in April and 1,003 from Germany in July.

But the PDEA recently pointed the blame to the BOC for the P6.8-billion worth of shabu or crystal meth that it said entered the country under its nose.

Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña refuted PDEA’s claim, saying the empty magnetic lifters from which the shabu were stored, tested negative for illegal drugs. /jpv

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