International drug syndicates continue to use the country’s postal system to smuggle liquid marijuana despite the government’s all-out war against narcotics.
Customs agents assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have intercepted at the Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City a package of liquid marijuana smuggled from Romania.
Authorities also arrested the claimant and consignee of the package, identified as Jeffrey Ciabal Perez, 33, a seaman and resident of 0690 Purok 6, San Lucas 2, San Pablo City, Laguna.
Customs-NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan said the package, which arrived on Sept. 19, contained six boxes of bottled liquid marijuana shipped by Bayer-Vasilica of St. Gheorghe GR Miko Imre, Romania.
The package, based on its import manifest, was misdeclared as “ULEI CBD full plant extract.”
“The Customs examiner in duty conducted a 100 percent physical examination on the package in the presence of representatives from other agencies. From the test conducted by the PDEA, the seized undetermined quantity of liquid substance gave positive result for the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol, a substance found in marijuana,” said Talusan.
Perez was charged with violation of Section 4 (Importation of Dangerous Drugs) of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act and Section 1401 (Unlawful Importation) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
The anti-drug operation was conducted in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine Post Office, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service and the bureau’s Anti-illegal Drugs Task Force, X-Ray Inspection Project and Enforcement Security Service.
The latest apprehension was the 50th anti-drug operation conducted by the Customs-NAIA, which has been active in intercepting illegal drugs both in passenger terminals and air parcels.
“Attempts to bring in and out prohibited goods are forewarned since Customs-NAIA is aggressively monitoring all parcels and baggage in the port,” Talusan said.
According to PDEA, shabu, marijuana and ecstasy are the top three narcotics distributed in the streets.
These prohibited substances are manufactured by Chinese, Taiwanese and Mexican drug syndicates.
The authorities vowed the government’s crackdown on drug dealing in the country would continue with the goal of catching protectors and financiers of the illegal drug trade.