CLARK FREEPORT — The Bureau of Customs (BoC) Port of Clark intercepted P7.6 million worth of party drugs inside boxes of gummy candies.

In a social media post issued on Wednesday, the party drugs were identified as Ecstasy tablets worth P7,634,700 that were concealed in boxes of gummy candies.

The BoC Clark was in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Airport Interdiction Unit during the seizure of the suspicious shipment.

The BoC cited that the shipment came from Brussels, Belgium and was bound for Quezon City.

Alongside the Ecstasy tablets were non-drug items including Belgian waffle biscuits, used as decoys to mask the illicit contents.

Authorities say the interception aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s campaign to secure the country against the threats posed by illegal drugs.

The operation was initiated following derogatory information from PDEA regarding the incoming shipment. A K-9 sniff test was later conducted by Customs Examiners and PDEA operatives yielded positive results for illegal substances, prompting a full physical examination of the parcel. The inspection revealed seven boxes containing gummy candies, which also concealed a total of 4,491 tablets suspected to be Ecstasy or MDMA.

Upon submission to PDEA for chemical analysis, the substance was confirmed to be Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, a prohibited drug under the provisions of Republic Act 9165, as amended.

A Warrant of Seizure and Detention was issued against the shipment for violations of Section 118(g), Section 119(d) and Section 1113 paragraphs (f), (i), and (l) of Republic Act 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, in relation to RA 9165.