Photo from BOC
MANILA, Philippines — A ketamine shipment worth P10.36 million, hidden among sports and lifestyle items, was discovered by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) during an inspection at the Port of Clark in Pampanga, Customs officials said Thursday.
The BOC scanned the consignment using X-ray machines after receiving a tip from the National Bureau of Investigation.
“The BOC discovered the illegal drugs in a shipment containing a ‘fitness expander, massage twister, trimmer, push-up bar, yoga block’ on January 30 from Putrajaya, Malaysia,” said the agency.
The scan revealed a suspicious image, said the BOC. The agency found the drugs specifically inside “three boxes of acupoint massage twisters with eight transparent plastic pouches containing the white powdered substance with a gross weight of 2,072 grams.”
The samples that were taken to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) headquarters for laboratory analysis confirmed that ketamine was present.
Authorities traced the shipment to its address and apprehended a foreign national.
“On January 31, joint elements from the Port of Clark and PDEA conducted a controlled delivery operation to the consignee’s address in Pasig City, leading to the arrest of a Chinese claimant,” the BOC said.
Port officials also issued a warrant of seizure and detention for the shipment for violation of numerous sections of Republic Act No. 10863 or “An Act Modernizing the Customs and Tariff Administration”, in relation to Republic Act No. 9165, which is the “Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.”
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