The Bureau of Customs – Port of Clark, in close coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF), X-ray Inspection Project (XIP), Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), and Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), seized 8,126 grams of Shabu with an estimated value of P56,069,400.00 and arrested the consignee in Cavite.

With a derogatory information from PDEA, the shipment was subjected to rigorous x-ray screening and K9 sniffing which both indicated possible presence of illegal drugs. Physical examination resulted in the discovery of eight (8) brown heat-sealed plastics containing the illegal substance declared as “dry food” which arrived on December 17, 2023, from California, USA.

PDEA chemical laboratory analysis confirmed that the substance is Methamphetamine Hydrochloride, commonly known as “Shabu”, a dangerous drug under R.A. No. 9165.

Elements from BOC and PDEA arrested one-male claimant during the Controlled Delivery Operation in Cavite on December 19, 2023.

District Collector Erastus Sandino Austria issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the subject shipment for violation of R.A. No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) in relation to R.A. No. 9165.

The seizure is the largest illegal drug apprehension recorded by the Port of Clark in 2023.

“This arrest only shows that we are steadfast and firm in our efforts to protect the health of our people against the harmful effects of the illicit trade of drugs in the country,” said Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio.