The Bureau of Customs-Port of Clark, under the supervision of its District Collector, Atty. Ricardo Uy Morales II, CESE, in coordination with Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force (CAIDTF) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region III, arrested the claimant of the seized shipment containing P3.160 million worth of Shabu in Makati City.

The BOC discovered the illegal drugs through profiling made by customs personnel in a shipment declared as “two slice bread toaster” from Pennsylvania, USA.

The shipment was then subjected to x-ray scanning which revealed suspicious images. K9 sniffing was likewise conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) K9 Unit which gave positive indications for the presence of dangerous drugs.

Physical examination was immediately conducted by the assigned customs examiner which led to the discovery of four pouches of white crystalline substances weighing 458 grams concealed inside two (2) “dear morning” bread toaster.

A field testing was conducted on the substance by CAIDTF Clark personnel through a Raman Rigaku Spectrometer which yielded positive reading for “Methamphetamine”.

Samples were then turned over to the PDEA for chemical laboratory analysis which was later confirmed as Methamphetamine Hydrochloride or commonly known as “Shabu”, a dangerous drug under the Republic Act (RA) No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

A Warrant of Seizure and Detention was immediately issued by District Collector Morales against the shipment for violation of Section 118 (g), 119 (d) and 1113 par. (f), (i), and (l)-(3) and (4) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in relation to R.A. No. 9165.

On July 5, 2023, joint elements of BOC-Clark and PDEA Region III conducted a controlled delivery operation at the consignee’s address in Makati City which led to the arrest of a 29-year old male claimant.

“Through the effort of our personnel and the support of PDEA, we successfully arrested the claimant of this shipment. As we continue to implement stricter measures and amplify our vigilance, expect that various modus operandi of smugglers will not slide under our watch,” said District Collector Morales.

“The series of illegal drug apprehensions in Clark is proof that the Bureau of Customs’ is firm with its mission. Rest assured that we will continuously enhance border security measures and we are doing our best in the frontline to curb smuggling,” said Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio.#