(Photo courtesy of BOC)
MANILA – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Friday reported the seizure of over 500 ecstasy tablets worth PHP1 million in an air parcel at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) in Pasay City.
In a statement, the BOC said the parcel came from the Netherlands and was misdeclared as “documents”.
CMEC personnel discovered that the parcel contains 535 tablets during a full physical examination.
It added that subsequent laboratory tests conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) confirmed the tablets as ecstasy or “party drugs”.
The BOC-Port of NAIA has turned over the seized illegal drugs to the PDEA on Thursday for further investigation and possible prosecution of individuals involved in the illegal importation for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (RA No. 9165) and Section 1401 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (RA No. 10863).
Meanwhile, the BOC said a total of 23,482 ecstasy tablets worth PHP42.27 million were seized by BOC NAIA together with PDEA and NAIA-Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (IADITG) in 2020.
Also last year, the port has condemned a total of 373.19 tons of unsafe and other hazardous goods including unregistered medicines and pharmaceuticals without Food and Drug Administration permits and clearances in Trece Martires, Cavite.
The BOC-NAIA vowed to remain vigilant against smuggling attempts to illegally import unregistered medicines and other prohibited, restricted, and regulated goods without proper clearances from concerned agency/office, aside from dangerous goods, in support of the agency's campaign against smuggling. (PNA)
