CONSISTENT vigilance by customs officers at the Ninoy Aquino Collection District resulted to the back-to-back seizure of illegal drugs worth P69 million and the arrest of two suspects.
District Collector Alexandra Lumontad, in her report to Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno said that last August 16, over 7 kilos of shabu valued at P47 million was recovered from the baggage of an arriving passenger from South Africa at the NAIA Terminal 3.
A checked-in luggage belonging to the unnamed male South African passenger initially underwent X-ray (non-intrusive) inspection, which revealed a suspicious image suggesting possible concealment of illegal drugs.
Lumontad said the follow-up physical inspection of the luggage resulted to the discovery of 7,005 grams of shabu, valued at P47.634 million and the suspect’s arrest.
In the other incident, the BOC statement dated August 15 said more than 15 kilos of high-grade marijuana (‘Kush’) was also found from the luggage of another arriving passenger at NAIA Terminal 3 valued at more than P22.62 million.
The identity of the suspect who was immediately arrested, was not revealed, however.
Both operations were conducted in close coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Lumontad added.
Suspect behind foiled vape smuggle try nabbed
At the Port of Clark, P8.244 million worth of vape products misdeclared as ‘non-commercial items such as shoes and clothes’ were also confiscated during a foiled smuggling attempt at the port last August 11.
Collector Jairus Reyes, in his report to Commissioner Nepomuceno, said actual inspection resulted to the discovery 20,610 pieces of ‘Black Ultra’ vape pods in various.
Reyes further informed the customs chief that their follow-up operation in partnership with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) last August 14, resulted the arrest of the shipment’s recipient in Quiapo, Manila.
The identity of the suspect was again not revealed by the BOC.
BOC, PDEA push for strengthened cooperation
Ahead of the reported anti-drugs accomplishments at the NAIA, Commissioner Nepomuceno went out of his way to personally confer with the PDEA leadership headed by Director General Isagani Nerez, with the end view of further strengthening inter-agency cooperation in the government’s anti-drug campaign.
During their meeting last August 12 at the PDEA main office, both sides reaffirmed their joint commitment to intensifying border protection through enhanced information-sharing, system integration, and operational coordination to combat drug smuggling and controlled chemicals
The Customs chief was accompanied to the meeting by Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement (DCE) Nolasco Bathan and CIIS Director Thomas Narcise.
Part of their initial agreements cover concrete measures to ensure the authenticity of import permits, streamlining of enforcement procedures, and addressing operational challenges in real time.
PDEA would also share a ‘read-only’ database of approved permits and licenses with the BOC for quicker verification of import documents and both sides would conduct regular coordination meetings and the creation of dedicated ‘focal teams’ to address their concerns.
At the end of the meeting, both parties agreed to update their ‘MOA’ (memorandum of agreement) to incorporate new protocols and close gaps that could be exploited by illegal importers.