P30 million in marijuana seized from 2 balikbayan boxes

Over P30 million worth of marijuana was discovered in two balikbayan boxes sent from Ontario, Canada.

According to a report by John Consulta on 24 Oras Weekend on Saturday, drug-sniffing dogs from the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) detected over 20,000 grams of kush hidden inside the boxes.

The shipment, which arrived in December, was flagged by the forwarding company due to a strong odor emanating from the packages.

“May red flag yung bagahe na na-receive nila at unclaimed,” said PDEG Director Police Brigadier General Eleazar Matta.

(The baggage they received was red-flagged and left unclaimed.)

Authorities suspect the senders took advantage of the Christmas rush to smuggle the illegal drugs into the country.

“Medyo nahihirapan na rin yung local market ng kush, or cannabis or marijuana kasi mahigpit talaga ang kapulisan natin sa Cordillera Region, kaya nago-outsource sila coming from other countries na madali pong ipasok, especially sa countries na legalized o decriminalized na yung use of cannabis o kush,” added Matta.

(The local market for kush, cannabis, or marijuana is struggling due to the strict enforcement by police in the Cordillera Region. This has led to the outsourcing of supplies from countries where cannabis use is legalized or decriminalized, making it easier to smuggle into the Philippines.)

The boxes were addressed to an unidentified recipient in Bulacan.

PDEG is continuing its investigation into the incident. — Jiselle Anne Casucian/DVM, GMA Integrated News