THE Bureau of Customs today announced the apprehension of ‘ecstasy’ pills at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) worth more than P23.5 million.
District collector Atty. Carmelita ‘Mimel’ Talusan, in a report to Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, said the shipment, which came from Belgium and the Netherlands, arrived in several packages consigned to different persons at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) in Pasay City, and described as various brands of coffees and toys.
Already on alert due to a previous incident, the attending customs officers then subjected the packages to rigid examinations and discovered the illegal drugs totaling 13,824 pieces with an estimated street value of P23,500,800.00
Talusan also reported that the entire haul was immediately turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for custody while an investigation is also under way to identify and prosecute all those involved in the smuggling attempt.
NAIA records also showed that today’s apprehension is already the 11th time “Ecstasy” or “party pills” have been apprehended at the international airport, which also brought to 32, the number of drug smuggling attempt foiled thus far by airport customs authorities