MANILA — A joint operations of the Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG) resulted in the arrest of two claimants of an air parcel containing ₱8.2 million worth of kush marijuana through a controlled delivery operation in Batangas.
The apprehended claimants, identified as “Van Joshua Magpantay” and “Johnyengle Hernandez,” were nabbed in a vape shop in Lipa City in Batangas after successful intelligence operations and coordination among the BOC, NAIA, PDEA, and IADITG.
The parcel arrived via Federal Express (FedEx) in Pasay City, sent by a certain Nina Manual from California, USA. It was misdeclared as musical instruments and consigned to a certain “Dimitria Escalona” of Batangas.
The parcel was subject to x-ray scanning and 100% physical examination of BOC personnel, together with drug enforcement agents. The verification reports that the parcel contains two vacuum-sealed transparent plastics and in them is a total of 5129 grams of dried leaves. The dried leaves, after further tests were identified as high-grade marijuana, also known as kush, a strain of Cannabis indica.
The apprehended claimants and seized dangerous drugs are now under the custodial investigation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. They are facing criminal charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and Section 1401 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
This latest apprehension was achieved shortly after ₱1 million worth of party drugs ecstasy was also seized by BOC, PDEA, and NAIA-IADITG in the central mail exchange center (CMEC).
The string of apprehensions involving illegal drugs manifests BOC-NAIA’s commitment to the anti-illegal drugs campaign of both Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero and PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva. (KIARA LAUREN IBANEZ/AI/MTVN)
Featured image: Anti-illegal drugs agents confiscate parcels containing illegal drugs. Photo by BOC
