The Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported on Friday that authorities discovered PHP3.4 million in shabu in a parcel in Pasay City and arrested the parcel's claimant.
The bureau said in a statement that the female claimant was apprehended after authorities discovered the illegal drugs inside a parcel at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) in Pasay City on Thursday.
During the course of the warehouse's intensive regular X-ray screening, a parcel labeled "Universal Engine" and originating in New Delhi, India, was marked "X" by the X-ray Inspection Project (XIP) inspector due to irregular and suspicious x-ray images.
The BOC, PDEA, and NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG) seized approximately 514 grams of shabu with an estimated street value of PHP 3,495,200.
In the presence of the consignee and representatives from XIP, the Customs Anti-illegal Drug Task Force, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, the Enforcement and Security Service, and PDEA, the Customs examiner conducted a thorough physical examination.
The subject parcel was examined, and four packs of white crystalline substances were discovered hidden inside the cylindrical aluminum receptacle labeled "Universal Engine," wrapped in blue carbon paper and tape.
The CAIDTF and PDEA conducted a field test on the seized items, which revealed the presence of methamphetamine hydrochloride.
The claimant was detained for violating Republic Act (RA) 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Drug Act, and Republic Act (RA) 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
