(UPDATE) THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized high-grade marijuana valued at more than P55 million concealed inside balikbayan boxes shipped from the United States.
Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the contraband — identified as “Kush,” a potent strain of marijuana — was intercepted during the examination of a 40-foot container from Long Beach, California. Two balikbayan boxes flagged during nonintrusive scanning and subsequent physical inspection yielded 75 sealed packs of marijuana hidden beneath sacks of rice. The haul weighed 39.3 kilograms and had an estimated street value of P55,055,000.
The operation, carried out with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and other law enforcement units, came just weeks after authorities discovered millions of pesos’ worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, in another consolidated shipment.
“The BOC will not allow balikbayan boxes, symbols of love and care from Filipinos abroad, to be used as channels for illegal drugs,” Nepomuceno said.
