BY BETHEENA UNITE
Kush and various marijuana-infused products worth P1.6 million were discovered in eight shipments declared as shirts and blankets at the Port of Clark, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) said.
Two of the eight shipments were found to contain 11 sealed packs of kush hidden under shirts and blankets. The shipments were only declared as “2 gift shirts and 2 baby blankets.”
The other six shipments, on the other hand, contained various marijuana-infused products such as two small boxes of CBD creams, four pieces of inhalers made with Hemp Cannabidoil, one CBD Vape Pen, two packs CBD Infused Gummies, six packs of Juicy Jay Hemp Wraps, three bottles Bergland Tee Baum, three bottles of Japanissches Minz-Heilol, 15 pieces of disposable CBD cartridge and 23 boxes of e-liquid pods.
These shipments came from the USA, Canada, France, and Germany.
According to the bureau, strict profiling of consignees, importation documents, and non-intrusive examination of shipments being implemented by the Port of Clark led to the discovery of the prohibited importation.
The port turned over the seized items to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Region 3 on August 5 for disposition.
Before the turnover, the shipments were also subjected to K9 sniffing which indicated the presence of illegal drugs.
A chemical analysis was then conducted, confirming the presence of marijuana in the shipments.
Warrants of seizure and detention were already issued by District Collector Ruby Alameda against the shipments for violation of R.A. No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in relation to Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. (Betheena Unite)
