CLARK — A major drug shipment believed to contain ₱20.7 million worth of ketamine has been stopped at the Port of Clark, in a sharp enforcement action that once again put the spotlight on the port’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

The Bureau of Customs–Port of Clark, working with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Clark Inter-Agency Task Force Against Illegal Drugs (CRK-IATFAID), intercepted approximately 4,140 grams of suspected ketamine concealed in an inbound shipment from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, reportedly bound for Valenzuela City.

The shipment was declared as a seemingly harmless “Compact Ceramic Fan.”
But Customs officers were not fooled.

X-RAY IMAGE BLOWS THE COVER

The shipment underwent regular customs clearance procedures before suspicious images detected through the BOC’s X-Ray Inspection Project (XIP) triggered a closer look.

A full physical examination followed.

Inside the shipment, Customs personnel discovered seven transparent plastic bags containing a white crystalline substance weighing approximately 4,140 grams.

Initial spectrometer screening produced a “Special K” reading, indicating the possible presence of ketamine.

Samples were immediately turned over to PDEA for laboratory analysis and confirmatory testing.

The seizure was carried out through the coordinated efforts of the Enforcement and Security Service–Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (ESS-CAIDTF), Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), and X-Ray Inspection Project (XIP).

REYES: NO EASY PASS AT CLARK

At the forefront of the Port of Clark’s intensified border-security drive is District Collector Jairus S. Reyes, who commended the Customs personnel and partner agencies involved in the interception.

The latest operation underscores the port’s use of technology-driven inspection, intelligence work and inter-agency coordination to detect suspicious shipments attempting to slip through legitimate trade channels.

Under the leadership of Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno, the BOC continues to tighten its enforcement and border-protection measures against illegal drugs and other illicit shipments entering the country.

For Coll. Jairus Reyes and the Port of Clark, the message is unmistakable:
A shipment may look ordinary on paper—but if the X-ray tells a different story, Customs will open the box.

And this time, what was hiding inside was a suspected ₱20.7-million drug haul.

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