The Bureau of Customs has seized some P148.4-million worth of shabu, ecstasy, and marijuana found hidden in canned goods at the Port of Clark.
A total of 20,136 grams of shabu worth R136.9 million and 200 pieces of ecstasy worth P7.7 million were discovered in the canned goods.
More than 3,000 grams of marijuana worth P3.8 million wrapped in clothing were also discovered.
The BoC said yesterday that the drug shipments were uncovered during X-ray examination of express cargoes at the Port of Clark.
The contrabands were discovered in nine different shipments from California and Las Vegas, Nevada, United States last Dec. 28, Jan. 10, and Jan. 14, the bureau said.
It was disclosed that the shipment from Las Vegas which arrived last month was placed under alert order due to the anomalies in the contents captured during X-ray examination.
When inspected, five vacuum sealed plastic packs of crystalline substances, later confirmed as shabu, and 200 orange and blue tablets were found inside five cans of Italian peeled tomatoes. It was only declared as clothing shipment.
Further, six plastic packs of marijuana wrapped in several pieces of clothing were discovered in a shipment declared as used shirts from California last Jan. 10. The discrepancy on the shipment was also noticed during X-ray examination.
After the discovery of the two shipments, seven different shipments from Las Vegas arrived at the Port of Clark last Jan. 14 using similar scheme, prompting Customs agents to conduct further inspection.
Fifty-six cans of Hunts pasta sauce with one plastic pack of shabu each were uncovered.
Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement later confirmed that the substances found are shabu.
Another set of canned goods containing shabu was also found in an abandoned shipment consigned to a certain Marlon Evangelista.
Acting district collector Atty. Lilibeth Sumbilla-Sandag issued a warrant of seizure and detention against the shipments for violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The illegal drugs have been turned over to PDEA, Sundag said. (Betheena Unite)