MARIJUANA with an estimated street value of P8,554,500 was seized by joint operatives from the Bureau of Customs-NAIA (BOC-NAIA), PNP Aviation Security Group and the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG) after they were found in ten abandoned inbound parcels in a warehouse in Pasay City.
The operation was conducted at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) located on Domestic Road, Pasay City last June 13, following an alert from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) regarding the said suspicious packages.
The parcels, shipped from various addresses in Thailand, were flagged during X-ray screening conducted by personnel from the BOC-NAIA headed by District Collector Atty. Yasmin Mapa.
Mapa said that further inspection using a narcotics detection dog (K-9 “Magnus”) confirmed the presence of illegal drugs.
A subsequent manual inspection revealed a total of 5,703 grams of dried marijuana leaves concealed in items falsely declared as tea, dried fruits, toys, clothing and other everyday goods.
It was learned from Dr. Mark Jhon Almase, Customs deputy collector for passenger services at NAIA, that the contraband was properly marked, photographed and inventoried in the presence of a media representative and a barangay official. The seized items were subsequently turned over to PDEA for disposition and investigation.
PBGen Christopher M. Abecia, Director of the PNP AVSEGROUP, said: “This operation highlights the effectiveness of seamless inter-agency coordination and the crucial role of proactive intelligence in dismantling transnational drug smuggling efforts.”
