The Bureau of Customs-Port of Clark, under the leadership of the District Collector, Atty. Ricardo Uy Morales II, CESE, once again prevented an attempt to smuggle illegal drugs as it seized 626 grams of Shabu with an estimated value of P4.319 million concealed in a shipment of bread toaster from Arizona, USA.
The said seizure was a result of the intensified profiling and border security measures of the Port following the series of recent apprehensions.
Similar to the recent seizures, the subject shipment was declared as “two slice stainless steel bread toaster” as profiled by customs personnel. It 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 findings of four pouches of white crystalline substances weighing 630 grams concealed inside two “dear morning” brand oven 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.
The Port of Clark, under the leadership of Atty. Morales, has already recorded four (4) major drug apprehensions with a total estimated value of P14.697 million since his assumption as District Collector last June 20, 2023.
“Rest assured that the Bureau of Customs at Clark will remain firm in our commitment to prevent the entry of illegal drugs in the country as mandated by Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,” said District Collector Morales.#
