Airport customs agents yesterday impounded a shipment of party drugs Ecstasy valued at P24 million.
The hot items were concealed in coffee cans and toys sent by parcels to the Central Mail Exchange Center (CME).
The customs personnel seized the seven packages containing about 14,000 tablets of Ecstasy, sent in different parcels with different consignees.
The packages originated from the Netherlands and Belgium and misdeclared as various brands of coffee.
Some carried the brands “Caffe Gondoliere Espresso Beans, Caffe Gondoliere Creme Bonen”, “Gondoliere Coffee (Arabica)”, “Granulaat”, “Snoepjes”, “Coffee DE (Espresso)”, “DE Coffee (Aroma Red) (Mocca).
Also seized are “Fishing Bath, Energy Saving LED Light, Pillow for Kids, Disney Pixar – The Secret Life of Pets”.
Customs district collector Mimel Talusan said the illegal items were found after subjecting more parcels to x-ray scanning.
Both field tests conducted by Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF) and PDEA Chemical Laboratory Test confirmed that the tablets were methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), the medical name Ecstacy.
Talusan said the haul was turned over to PDEA for further profiling and case build up against the importers for possible prosecution for violation of the Dangerous Drugs and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.