BoC uncovers P2.64-B in food shipment

The Bureau of Customs found more than P2 billion worth of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as “shabu,” in a food shipment at the Port of Manila on Thursday.

The shipment, declared to contain crispo vermicelli and Rafhan custard sauce, was shipped by Ayan Enterprise/Trading & Logistics and consigned to Redshinting Consumer Goods Trading, which arrived from Pakistan.

With this, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service requested an alert order against the shipment after receiving derogatory information from the National Bureau of Investigation, which led to the examination of 407 packs of white crystalline substances, valued at a whopping P2.64 billion, concealed in boxes.

“Seeing this as our first major drug haul of the year, I would like to commend our officers as well as our partner law enforcement agencies—the NBI, PDEA, and DOJ—for their timely actions that led to this successful operation. Drug traffickers go to great lengths to circumvent our laws, deceive authorities, and harm our communities. But our officers go to even greater lengths to protect our people from the harm and danger brought by illegal drugs,” BOC Commissioner Bien Rubio said.

CIIS Director Verne Enciso, for his part, said the uncovering of the contraband was through the joint efforts of the BOC, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Department of Justice.

“After receiving derogatory information from our counterparts, we promptly requested the issuance of an alert order and conducted a 100% physical examination of the subject shipment. Our agents discovered white crystalline substances concealed within the packaging of Kirkland Organic Dried Mango,” Enciso said.

Of the 698 boxes in the shipment, 58 boxes were found with 407 packs of suspected shabu hidden inside.

The discovered packages of shabu weigh approximately 407 kilograms.

The examination of the shipment was done before representatives from the CIIS-Port of Manila, Enforcement and Security Service, the Philippine Coast Guard, Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force, PDEA, X-ray Inspection Project, Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc., DOJ and NBI, and barangay officials.

According to Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group Juvymax Uy, the suspected shabu was officially turned over to PDEA for laboratory examination and custody under the provisions of Republic Act No. 9165.

“Border security is national security. This remains the top priority of the BOC. But while we are proud of the hard work that comes with an operation like this, we also know that these criminals know no bounds, and they will push us to the limits. We are committed to doing even better in the coming months as we try to crack down on the threats these shipments bring to our communities,” he said.