‘Documents’ and ‘animal food’ parcels conceal illegal drugs at Clark

Authorities seized more than half a million pesos worth of illegal drugs concealed in misdeclared parcels during a raid at a warehouse in the Clark Freeport Zone.

The Clark International Airport Inter-Agency Task Group Against Illegal Drugs (CRK-IADITG) — comprising the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Bureau of Customs (BOC), National Bureau of Investigation-Port and Airport Interdiction Task Group (NBI-PAMDO), and Philippine National Police (PNP) — conducted the operation at a UPS warehouse on 28 July.

Acting on intelligence reports about suspicious shipments, authorities inspected a parcel declared as “documents” at around 10:44 a.m. Inside, they discovered two transparent plastic sachets containing 52 grams of a white powdery substance, which tested positive for ketamine or “Special K,” with a street value of P260,000.

A second parcel, declared as “animal food,” was opened at 11:25 a.m. Hidden in packaging designed to resemble dog food, officers found a plastic sachet containing 54 grams of a brownish crystalline substance. PDEA laboratory tests confirmed it as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy), worth an estimated P265,200.

PDEA conducted both initial field tests and confirmatory lab analyses on the confiscated drugs, with the total seizure valued at P525,200. Photographic evidence and forensic documentation were collected on site.

An investigation is underway to determine the origin and intended recipients of the illegal shipment.