Kush Marijuana (Photo from BOC-Port of Clark)
MANILA – The Bureau of Customs (BOC)-Port of Clark, together with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives, apprehended the claimant of a shipment containing 2,378 grams of Kush Marijuana worth close to PHP4 million.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Bureau reported that the 27-year-old male consignee was arrested during a controlled delivery in Sta. Cruz, Manila on April 13.
The authorities discovered the illegal drugs during a physical examination of a shipment from California, USA, that is said to contain "Tevana Green Herbal Tea” on April 12.
The shipment worth PHP3,923,700 underwent usual K9 sniffing and X-ray scanning procedures and was immediately subjected to physical examination, which led to the discovery of five tin cans containing dried leaves suspected to be Kush Marijuana.
Samples were then taken and turned over to PDEA for chemical laboratory analysis, which confirmed the presence of Tetrahydrocannabinol/Marijuana, a dangerous drug mentioned under the Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
District Collector John Simon will issue a Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the subject shipment for violating Section 118 (g), 119 (d), and 1113 par. f, i, and l (3 and 4) of RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) in relation to RA 9165.
A criminal case will be filed against the apprehended claimant for violating RA 9165.
"Our anti-drug smuggling effort once again resulted in success. We recognize the vigilance of our personnel and the support of PDEA in our drug apprehensions," the BOC official said.
"The Port of Clark will continue to further reinforce and maximize our capabilities to prevent the entry of illegal drugs into the country," he added. (PNA)
