P8.3 million Ecstasy tablets seized in Clark

MANILA, Philippines — Party drug Ecstasy tablets worth about P8.3 million have been seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at the Port of Clark in Pampanga.

The tablets were hidden in boxes of coffee beans and espresso capsules that arrived from the Netherlands on Sept. 24, the BOC said.

The BOC’s X-ray Inspection Project flagged the suspicious shipment, which was found to contain the illegal substance during an inspection conducted by a K9 unit of the PDEA and the BOC’s anti-illegal drug task force.

Samples of the illegal substance turned over to the PDEA for chemical analysis confirmed the tablets to be Ecstasy.

A warrant of seizure and detention was issued against the shipment for violation of Republic Act 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, in relation to RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.