NAIA mail: Foreign parcels yield P43.7M ‘narcotics’
AUTHORITIES intercept eight abandoned international parcels containing suspected illegal drugs worth approximately P43.76 million at the Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City on Friday. The discovery highlights how illicit substances can slip into the international mail system.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PDEA/FB PAGE
Authorities intercepted eight abandoned inbound parcels containing suspected illegal drugs at the Central Mail Exchange Center along Domestic Road in Pasay City over the weekend.
Shipment records indicated that the parcels originated from Mexico, Canada, India, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Malaysia and Belgium, with listed recipients in Cavite, Tarlac and Laguna.
Members of the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group discovered the suspected drugs during an interdiction operation.
Bureau of Customs personnel initially detected the substances through cargo X-ray screening, followed by K-9 inspection by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and subsequent manual examination.
Authorities recovered approximately 5,222 grams of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu; 261 grams of suspected cocaine; 482 tablets suspected to be ecstasy; 1,047 grams of suspected marijuana kush; and 1,001 grams of suspected ketamine.
The shabu, cocaine and ecstasy had a combined standard drug price of P37,712,300, while the marijuana kush and ketamine had a combined street value of P6,052,000, bringing the total estimated drug value to P43,764,300.
The seized substances will be turned over to the PDEA national office in Quezon City for proper disposition. The agency will handle the case for further investigation and appropriate action.