Airport Customs authorities arrested on Monday the claimants of more than 5,000 tablets of the party drug Ecstasy concealed in a foot spa machine with an estimated street value of P9 million.
The arrest was made during a joint controlled delivery operation at the Quezon City PhilPost office.
Records show that the parcel arrived on June 28, 2021 at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) from Neuss, Germany, and was declared as “children’s toys, sandals, bag, socks, pants, rain boots, and birthday stock.”
The parcel was consigned to a resident of Quezon City.
The illegal drug was initially discovered during a non-intrusive x-ray scanning of the subject package.
According to Mark Almase, Customs sub-port collector, the parcel was subjected to physical examination conducted by an examiner.
The package was found to contain 5,637 tablets of Ecstasy classified as a dangerous drug under the RA 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The claimants are currently undergoing investigation by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for violation of RA 9165, also known as the Dangerous Drug Act, and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
Image courtesy of Bureau of Customs