BoC seizes P1.5M “kush”

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) – Port of Clark seized some 1.48 kilograms of suspected high-grade marijuana or kush concealed in four garments recently.

The agency conducted the operation in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine National Police – Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSEG), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Pampanga District Office, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and officials of Barangay Dau, Mabalacat City.

The BOC Port of Clark said that the illegal drugs have a street value of P1.572-million.

The shipment, declared as “Men’s Track Suit, Polyester Men’s Cotton Shorts”, was flagged for examination after BOC’s X-ray Inspection Project (XIP) detected unusual images.

A subsequent K-9 sniff test also confirmed the presence of illegal substances, the bureau said.

After an inspection, authorities uncovered four vacuum-sealed pouches of kush hidden with the garments.

Samples of the substance were sent to PDEA for chemical analysis, which later confirmed that the shipment contained marijuana, classified as a dangerous drug under R.A. No. 9165.

The BOC issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention for violating Sections 118(g), 119(d), and 1113 paragraphs (f), (i), and (l) (3 and 4) of R.A. No. 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), in relation to R.A. No. 9165.