Another batch of kush worth P158M hidden in balikbayan boxes seized

MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Customs was able to seize kush or dried marijuana leaves again, this time worth P158.7 million, in another set of balikbayan boxes coming from Thailand.

BOC said on Wednesday that the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service in the Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) found the illegal substance in six balikbayan boxes during a physical examination last Monday, March 18.

READ: BOC: P76-M marijuana from Thailand seized 

According to CIIS Director Verne Enciso, the MICP asked that an alert order be issued on February 28 on a shipment coming into the country from Thailand after receiving reports that some of the packages contained illegal drugs and other misdeclared and undeclared items.

“Originally, the shipment was declared as consolidated balikbayan boxes and personal effects from Thailand. But we’ve already seen this modus before, so after vetting the information that we received, we immediately went to work to thwart this smuggling activity,” Enciso said.

After the arrival of the package, BOC inspectors found a total of 132.28 kilograms of dried marijuana leaves concealed in the following quantities:

• 20 vacuum-sealed packages with 1,009 grams per package in the first box
• 25 vacuum-sealed packages with 1,047 grams per package in the second box
• 25 vacuum-sealed packages with 1,034 grams per package in the third box
• 20 vacuum-sealed packages with 1,007 grams per package in the fourth box
• 20 vacuum-sealed packages with 1,021 grams per package in the fifth box
• 15 vacuum-sealed packages with 1,021 grams per package and 16 vacuum-sealed packages with 263 grams of kush cake and cream per package in the sixth box

BOC said the packages were consigned to Mary Gail Quesada and Rainier Quesada through Marcelo D. Laylo Cargo Forwarders.

Samples have been sent to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for confirmation, while all six balikbayan boxes were returned to the container for safekeeping, according to BOC.

Aside from PDEA, the examination of the boxes was witnessed by the assigned Customs examiner, as well as the CIIS, Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Environmental Protection and Compliance Division (EPCD).

Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio said that the agency would continue working to intercept these packages, noting that criminal elements are now using different ways to smuggle illegal drugs into the country.

“Sending balikbayan boxes is the simple tradition of Filipinos of giving gifts to their families and friends, but look how these criminal elements use them to smuggle illegal drugs into our country,” he said.

“No matter how many times they try, the full utilization of our personnel in shipment monitoring and available resources will foil any smuggling attempt,” he added.

This is not the first time that BOC has found marijuana stashed in balikbayan boxes. On February 28, the bureau found the illegal substance in a set of packages from Thailand. A total of 12 kilograms of kush were discovered inside the shipment, which was consigned to Marcelo D. Laylo Cargo Forwarders and sent to an individual from Cavite.

Then, on March 13, BOC reported two other incidents of dried marijuana leaves found in Balikbayan boxes from Thailand: one in which the illegal substance was said to be worth P238 million and another where the marijuana leaves were estimated to have a street value of P337 million.

BOC said the consignees, senders, and recipients of the balikbayan boxes may face charges in violation of Section 118 (Prohibited Importation and Exportation) and Section 1400 (Misdeclaration) in relation to Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.