BUREAU of Customs (BoC) operatives seized P56.55 million worth of narcotics and arrested two foreigners suspected as drug mules at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The seizure and arrest were done in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group.
Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said on Thursday that the operation yielded 5,256 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride valued at P35.8 million, and 14,825 kilograms of Kush, a high-grade marijuana with an estimated street value of P20.75 million.
“Even as these smugglers and illegal drug traders try to step up their game, I want to assure our people that the BoC is well-positioned and well-equipped to detect and stop the entry of drugs in our country. Our multifaceted approach allows us to not only keep up with these new modus, but to ultimately foil all attempts for these products to enter our markets and proliferate in our streets,” Rubio said.
In her report to Rubio, NAIA District Collector Yasmin Mapa said the meth was confiscated on August 13 from a South African passenger arriving from Abu Dhabi via Etihad Airways flight EY424.
The high-grade marijuana, on the other hand, was seized on August 14 from a Thai passenger arriving from Thailand via Thai Airways flight TG620.
The perpetrators and the drugs were turned over to the PDEA for custodial investigation and initiation of inquest proceedings for violations of Republic Act 9165, or the “Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002” and Republic Act 10863, or the “Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.”
WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
Be the first to comment