Seven packages containing a total of 13,824 tablets of the party drug Ecstasy with an estimated street value of P23,500,800 were seized by the Bureau of Customs NAIA in the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) warehouse in Pasay City.
The contraband was discovered in different parcels with various consignees.
Records show that the subject shipments originated from Netherlands and Belgium and misdeclared as "Caffe Gondoliere Espresso Beans, Caffe Gondoliere Creme Bonen", "Gondoliere Coffee (Arabica)", "Granulaat", "Snoepjes", "Coffee DE (Espresso)", "DE Coffee (Aroma Red) (Mocca)"; and "Fishing Bath, Energy Saving LED Light, Pillow for Kids, Disney Pixar - The Secret Life of Pets".
The suspicious weight of the packages, and the recently discovered modus operandi of smuggling illegal drugs thru “coffee beans” from other countries last July 2020, prompted the BoC-NAIA Frontliners to subject more parcels to rigid document profilings, x-ray scanning and inspections.
Upon physical examination by BoC-NAIA Customs Examiners, they found that Ecstacy tablets in different colors were concealed in toys and coffee wrappers.
Field tests conducted by CAIDTF and PDEA Chemical Laboratory Test confirmed that the seized Tablets were Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) also known as Ecstacy.
BOC NAIA Frontliners, Customs Examiners, CIIS, CAIDTF, ESS and XIP Operatives continuously coordinate with PDEA and NAIA-IATG to further strengthen vigilance in guarding passenger terminals and warehouses.
Today, August 10, 2020, the BoC NAIA turned over to PDEA the seized illegal drugs for further profiling and case build up against the importers and other personalities involved for possible prosecution for violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 in relation to Section 1401 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
The said seizure further manifests the commitment of the Bureau of Customs under the leadership of Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, to stop attempts to smuggle dangerous drugs into the country, said the group.
(Photos from BOC)
