More than P10.696 million worth of shabu, concealed in a wedding dress shipment from Mexico, were seized at the Port of Clark recently.
Customs personnel seized the items at the Port of Clark, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Clark Inter-Agency Task Force Against Illegal Drugs.
The shipment, declared as a “Wedding Dress” and consigned to Mandaluyong City, was subjected to X-ray scanning after authorities received information regarding the package.
The suspicious images, discovered during the scanning, prompted BOC personnel to conduct a physical examination.
The wedding dress and its ruffles were inspected, but no illegal drugs were found.
But authorities later examined the cardboard box after noticing that it was unusually heavy.
When the box was dismantled, four pouches, containing drugs, were found in the cardboard sidewalls.
The substance weighed approximately 1,573 grams and was worth P10,696,400.
Initial spectrometer screening indicated the presence of methamphetamine.
The samples were turned over to PDEA Clark for laboratory examination.
Ariel F. Nepomuceno, BOC Commissioner, said the concealment method showed the need for thorough inspection of shipments.
“Mas nagiging madiskarte ang mga smugglers at minsan, sa unang tingin, parang walang kahina-hinala sa shipment. Kaya hindi tayo puwede maging kumpyansa—our Customs officers must remain sharp, thorough, and ready to check beyond what is immediately visible,” Nepomuceno said.
