In furtherance of its commitment to prevent the entry of illegal drugs, the Bureau of Customs under the leadership of Commissioner Yogi Filemon L. Ruiz, Customs – NAIA, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG) conducted a controlled delivery operation on July 27, 2022, which led to the apprehension of a claimant in connection to seized Kush and Liquid Marijuana shipment.

A composite team composed of members of the Port’s Customs Anti-illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF) and PDEA operatives conducted the controlled delivery in Kidapawan City where the alleged consignee, a certain Jude Paolo Javier, was apprehended.

The shipment which was declared as COOKING SET was shipped from Folsom, United States of America by a certain Janice Nguyen. Examination revealed that the package contained 927 grams of Kush or high-grade marijuana and 22 pcs of vape cartridge containing liquid marijuana with an estimated market value of Php 1,297,800 Million.

Further investigation is underway against the claimant for possible violation of Section 1114 of RA 10863 also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and RA 9165 also known as the Anti-illegal Drugs Act.

As parcels and package movement increase as part of the new normal, the Port of NAIA headed by Collector Carmelita Talusan remains vigilant in intensifying border protection measures and enforcement efforts to prevent illegal goods in the country balanced with revenue collection and trade facilitation.