Thousands of ecstasy tablets worth P5 million were found in a parcel containing various items from Germany, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Saturday, March 20.

In a statement, the BOC said the shipper tried to hide the contraband by concealing them inside orthopedic jelly shoes, flexible led mirror, dust buster, hand mixer, and birdhouse display. It was shipped to the Philippines through the Port of Manila.
But the added measures in the physical examination then revealed that the parcel also contained a total of 3,100 various tablets of ecstasy estimated to have a value of P5.270 million.
A controlled delivery was conducted to arrest the person involved in Dau, Mabalacat Pampanga on Thursday, March 18.
A certain Agatha Lavadia Palen, who went to claim the parcel, was arrested. She even presented an authorization letter to receive the parcel on behalf of the consignee identified as Zhyelle Marquez Ancheta.
The claimant was, however, taken into custody by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and is currently undergoing questioning for possible violation of RA 9165 also known as the Anti-illegal Drugs Act as well as Section 1400 of RA 10863 also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
Port of Manila District Collector Michael Angelo Vargas, in a statement, warned the public to “be careful when claiming packages especially when it is done as a favor as this may be the means of certain unscrupulous individuals to smuggle illegal drugs into the country.”