MANILA: Personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) at the Port of Clark have discovered a total of 1,187.1 grams of cocaine worth PHP6.2 million hidden in the rims of three wheelchair casters.
In a statement Wednesday, the Bureau reported that the illegal drugs were concealed in a shipment said to contain a “mini /sumatic wheelchair caster,” by port authorities on Jan. 24.
It added that the shipment arrived on Jan. 13 from Tanzania in eastern Africa.
Port of Clark District Collector John Simon said the shipment was subjected to K9 sniffing and x-ray scanning procedures and physical examination based on information from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Physical examination yielded three wheelchair casters filled with a white powdery substance along the rims.
Representative samples were then taken to PDEA for chemical laboratory analysis, which yielded positive for cocaine, a prohibited drug under Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The Port of Clark immediately issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the shipment for violating Sections 118 (g), 119 (d), and 1113 par. f, i & l (3 & 4) of RA 10863 in relation to Section 4 of RA 9165.
Simon noted that their border protection measures and consistent coordination with PDEA have effectively prevented these illegal drugs from entering the borders.
Source: Philippines News Agency