The Bureau of Customs-Port of Clark intercepted P10.696 million worth of suspected shabu hidden inside the cardboard walls of a wedding dress box shipped from Mexico.

Acting on intelligence information, customs personnel subjected the package, declared as “Wedding Dress,” to X-ray scanning.

The scan produced suspicious images, prompting authorities to conduct a full physical examination.

“During the examination, the assigned Customs examiner initially inspected the white wedding dress, including its ruffles, but found no contraband concealed in the garment. Guided by the X-ray images and the unusual weight of the carton, the examiner further inspected the packaging itself,” the BOC said Wednesday.

Customs personnel dismantled the carton and found four transparent plastic pouches hidden inside its cardboard sidewalls.

The pouches contained a white crystalline substance suspected to be methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu.

The substance weighed about 1,573 grams and had an estimated standard drug value of P10,696,400.

An initial spectrometer screening indicated the presence of methamphetamine.

Samples were turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for laboratory analysis and confirmatory testing.

Customs authorities issued a warrant of seizure and detention against the shipment for alleged violations of Section 1113(l)(3), (4) and (5) of Republic Act 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, in relation to Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, as amended.