MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has confiscated 8.2 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu smuggled in balikbayan boxes sent from Thailand.
In a statement yesterday, the BOC said the boxes, which arrived at the Manila International Container Port on April 7, were consigned to Philippians 419 Export and Import General Merchandise Corp., with Frejail Calugay named as the recipient.
BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said that in the past months, the bureau confiscated several million pesos’ worth of dried marijuana smuggled in balikbayan boxes.
The April 7 shipment was declared to contain household items, shoes and motor parts from Thailand. The shabu was in plastic pouches stashed inside two electric fans and five water heaters, according to the BOC.
The bureau said the consignees, senders and recipients of the balikbayan boxes face charges of violating Section 118 (prohibited importation and exportation) and Section 1400 (misdeclaration) in goods declaration in relation to Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.