OVER P8-M ECSTASY MIXED WITH COFFEE BEANS FROM NETHERLANDS INTERCEPTED AT PORK OF CLARK

JOINT operatives of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) thwarted an attempt to smuggle into the country of some P8.314-million worth of ecstasy tablets from the Netherlands.

The “party drugs” were hidden in coffee bean boxes intercepted at the Port of Clark in Angeles City, Pampanga.

The ecstasy tablets were found mixed with the  coffee beans placed inside the three boxes, which had been shipped from the Netherlands.

According to the BOC, the suspicious shipment  went through an x-ray machine  and was  subjected to a K9 inspection, which both confirmed the presence of illegal drugs.

Samples of the seized ecstasy were turned over to PDEA for chemical analysis.

The PDEA confirmed that the tablets contained methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) commonly known as ecstasy.

A Warrant of Seizure and Detention was immediately issued against the shipment for violations of Sections 1400, 118(g), 119(d), and 1113  Paragraphs f, i, and l (3 & 4) of Republic Act  10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), in relation to Republic Act 9165 otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio said the Port of Clark remains steadfast in its efforts to combat illegal drug smuggling.

“The Bureau of Customs reaffirms its commitment to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by remaining vigilant against the importation of illegal drugs and hazardous substances into the country,” Rubio said.

The confiscation was conducted in coordination with the BOC’s Enforcement and Security Service (ESS)-Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF), and the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS).