Shipment na idineklarang 'hoodie,' P3.13 milyong halagang marijuana pala

MANILA, Philippines — Imbis na hooded sweatshirt, milyun-milyong halagang "good items" pala ang pakay tanggapin ng isang suspek mula Antipolo, Rizal matapos mabisto sa operasyon ng gobyerno kamakailan.

Ayon sa ulat ng Bureau of Customs (BuCor) ngayong Miyerkules, sinabing inaresto ang isang 23-anyos na consignee ng 1,900 gramo ng high-grade marijuana o "kush" na ikinubli sa isang jacket. Nagkakahalaga ito ng P3.135 milyon.

"Upon receiving derogatory information from [Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency], the shipment declared as 'hooded sweatshirt,' which arrived on May 9, 2024, was immediately subjected to x-ray scanning and K9 sniffing. Both inspections indicated possible presence of illegal drugs," ayon sa BuCor kanina.

"Physical examination led to the discovery of four (4) pouches of dried leaves and fruiting tops suspected to be High-Grade Marijuana or 'Kush.' The said pouches were found concealed in hooded sweatshirts."

#BOCNewsToday | The Bureau of Customs– Port of Clark, in close coordination with the PDEA, CAIDTF, XIP, ESS, and CIIS, arrested the consignee of 1,900 grams of kush with an estimated value of P3.135 million on May 13, 2024.

Full story: https://t.co/AORtS6eTqW pic.twitter.com/ocRWbVlBx8

— Bureau of Customs PH (@CustomsPH) May 15, 2024

Dinala ang specimen samples ng tuyong dahon at fruiting tops sa PDEA para sa chemical laboratory analysis. Dito na nakumpirmang marijuana ang mga naturang substances, isang ipinagababawal na gamot sa ilalim ng Republic Act 9165 o "Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002".

Dahil dito, nag-isyu ng warrant of seizure and detention laban sa naturang shipment si District Collector Erastus Sandino Austria para sa paglabag sa  Section 118 (g), 119 (d), at 1113 par. f, I, at l (3 and 4) ng R.A. No. 10863 o Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) kaugnay ng R.A. 9165.

"Controlled delivery operations by the operatives of BOC-Clark and PDEA in Antipolo, Rizal resulted to the arrest of a 23-year-old male claimant," dagdag pa ng Customs.

"The arrested claimant was detained by PDEA Region III for filing of appropriate charges under R.A. No. 9165, as amended."

Ang operasyon ay sinasabing ikinasa ng Pork of Clark sa pakikipagtulungan ng PDEA, Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF), X-ray Inspection Project (XIP), Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) at Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS).

Pinasalamatan naman ni Austria ang CAIDTF, ESS, CIIS, XIP, at Customs Examiner sa kanilang pagmamatyag. Idiniin din niya ang halaga ng inter-agency cooperation sa PDEA, pinatinding personnel profiling at modernong BOC technologies sa pagkakaharang ng droga.

Ipinangako naman ni Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio na ipagpapatuloy ng BOC ang "pro-active" coordination sa government enforcement agencies para matiyak ang agarang detection at prevention ng iligal na droga sa bansa.