Cannabis oil shipment intercepted

The Bureau of Customs (BoC) Port of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) seized 28 bottles of cannabis oil at the Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City.

In a briefing last Thursday, BoC-NAIA district collector Mimel Talusan said the contraband, declared as “nutritional Christmas gift,” was sent by a certain Todd Humpherys from the United States and was consigned to Liza Cacayorin McLanachan, 49, a resident of Makati City.

Talusan said the bottles of cannabis oil were placed in a small box.

Atty. Marlon Agaceta, BoC Legal department chief, said charges have been filed against McLanachan for illegal importation of prohibited substance in the country.

Agaceta explained that while there are countries the allow the use of cannabis oil, it remains illegal to import, use or possess of any form of cannabis substance in the Philippines.

Gerald Javier, head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency office at NAIA, reminded the public that under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act, any person who is involved in the illegal importation of cannabis oil is criminally liable without bail.

He added that whether a recipient is aware or not of the content of a package, they are always arrested. The public is being warned of the different modus operandi of drug syndicates.

Javier disclosed that McLanachan admitted to owning and personally using cannabis oil for her personal use, and that she insisted she would defend herself in court for the charges against her.