THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) chalked its fourth major success going into the second full month of Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno’s term with the interception last September 2 of 70 kilos of shabu worth more than P476 million at a courier warehouse for balikbayan boxes in Vitas, Tondo, Manila.
During the media presentation the next day, Nepomuceno, together with Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence (DCI) Romeo Rosales, Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement (DCE) Nolasco Bathan, Intelligence Service (CIIS) director Thomas Narcise and Customs Police (ESS) director Butch Tibayan, said the confiscated contraband arrived from Long Beach, California for delivery to an address in Bacoor, Cavite.
The operation was carried out by the CIIS- Port of Manila, and the Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force (CAIDTF) under the Enforcement and Security Service, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Commissioner Nepomuceno said the inspection led to the discovery of 70 vacuum-sealed transparent plastic packs of a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, weighing approximately 70 kilograms.
The illegal drugs were concealed inside three balikbayan boxes loaded into two container vans.
The seized boxes contained twenty-four kilograms hidden inside a small box and a backpack, twenty-seven kilograms in another box and a branded backpack mixed with canned goods, and nineteen kilograms in a third box among assorted personal effects.
The discovery now counts as the fourth major accomplishment of the agency since Nepomuceno assumed office last July.
The first was after the BOC surpassed its collection target for July by turning in P85.459 billion, P1.084 billion more than its assigned target of P84.365 billion. The figure is also the highest monthly collection by the agency since the start of the year (Pinoy Exposé, August 6, 2025).
Last August 27, the BOC raided an industrial warehouse in Plaridel, Bulacan, and confiscated more than P605 million worth of smuggled cigarettes from Vietnam and China that also resulted to the arrest of three suspects.
The successful operation would also be the agency’s first major accomplishment against cigarette smugglers under Nepomuceno (Pinoy Exposé, September 1, 2025).
Finally, on September 4, the BOC announced it has taken custody of the 28 luxury vehicles reportedly owned by couple Sarah and Curee Discaya, the contractors tagged as among those who profited immensely from the corruption that attended the country’s flood control program.
Two days previously, an irate Commissioner Nepomuceno warned the Discayas and their accomplices that they would face the full force of the law after only 2 of the 12 vehicles subject of a court-approved warrant were found by the BOC at one of the offices of the Discayas in Pasig City.
The Customs chief said he would give the Discayas plenty of “headache” should they fail to cooperate with the agency (Pinoy Exposé, September 2, 2025).
The BOC sought the approval of the court for the inspection of the vehicles to determine if they entered the country legally and the correct duties and taxes were paid by the Discayas.