Customs seizes P2.53-M worth marijuana declared as men’s clothing

From the Bureau of Customs

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized a parcel in the Port of Clark in Pampanga that supposedly contained men’s clothing but turned out to be some P2.53-million worth of kush or high-grade marijuana.

In a statement on Tuesday, the BOC said its officers intercepted an attempt to smuggle 1,534 grams of the illegal drugs last May 18 – nearly a month ago.

From the Bureau of Customs

The parcel from Kentucky in the United States was declared as “men’s t-shirts, men’s trousers [and] men’s windbreaker.”

The BOC said the shipment had initially been flagged as “suspicious” by the X-ray Inspection Project personnel. It then underwent inspection by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s K9 unit, in which three vacuum-sealed bags of kush had been discovered.

District Collector Elvira Cruz issued a warrant of seizure and detention for the parcel after finding probable cause for violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

Cruz also said the Port of Clark “remains vigilant against various drug smuggling attempts” as she reiterated the objective of the BOC to beef up the country’s border security.

READ: Marcos eyes BOC digitalization to curb smuggling

JPV