BY ARIEL FERNANDEZ
The Bureau of Customs (BoC) turned over on Tuesday to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 62 vape juice cartridges containing liquid marijuana that were found last week in unclaimed parcels at the Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City.
Customs officers assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) seized the liquid marijuana last August 22.
According to BoC, the vape package with liquid marijuana was misdeclared as “food flavourings”, shipped by a certain Roger Bowman from Amsterdam, Netherlands and consigned to a certain Dee Sy of San Juan City.
Field test conducted by the Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF) and PDEA confirmed that the vape juices contained Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD), both compounds found in marijuana.
PDEA said the importation of marijuana and its compounds, components and derivatives are still prohibited under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The seized vape juice cartridges were turned over to PDEA for further investigation and possible prosecution of individuals involved in the illegal importation of liquid marijuana. (Ariel Fernandez)
