GOVERNMENT agents seized P29.712 million worth of illicit drugs at a Pasay cargo facility, the Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA) announced Thursday. The BOC-NAIA reported that three inbound parcels, which arrived separately from Germany and South Africa, were intercepted March 2. The shipment was discovered during routine examinations of abandoned parcels and confirmed by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents. Two of the parcels, declared as “garden sculptures,” contained 2,032 grams and 2,014 grams of a white powdery substance suspected to be MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, with an estimated value of P5,259,800. They were shipped from Berlin and consigned to a recipient in Pasig. Meanwhile, the third parcel, declared as “vehicle air filters,” was shipped from Lusaka, Zambia, and consigned to a recipient in Dasmariñas, Cavite. Inspection revealed four cylindrical air filters wrapped in carbon paper and masking tape containing approximately 3,596 grams of suspected shabu valued at P24,452,800. According to Customs District Collector Yasmin Mapa, the operation was carried out in close coordination with the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group, the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group, the Airport Police Department, PDEA, and the BOC Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force. The illegal substances were turned over by BOC-NAIA to the PDEA national office, which assumed custody of the case. Recent interceptions at cargo and mail facilities frequently target warehouses and centers near the airport complex in Pasay. On Feb. 11, the Bureau of Customs intercepted approximately 5.4 kilograms of shabu, worth P36.8 million, hidden in containers disguised as CCTV cameras, handbags, and hot water bottles. BOC-NAIA also confiscated 3.7 kilograms of high-grade marijuana, or kush, worth P5.6 million on Feb. 13 at the Central Mail Exchange Center. The drugs were discovered in four abandoned parcels.