The Philippine Customs bureau posted the largest drug bust last year worth 465.9 million pesos ( 11.46 million U.S. dollars) from the country's premier airport, a senior government official said on Monday.
Customs Task Group/Force on Dangerous Drugs and Controlled Chemicals (CTG/FDDCC) executive director for operations Major Rizalina Parong said that their personnel were able to confiscate 53.48 kilograms (kg) of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride or shabu, 8. 737 kg of high-grade cocaine, 33.9 kg of marijuana, 19 tablets of Methylenedioxy Methamphetamine (MDMA), 19 pieces of Alprazolam and six kg of Piperonal.
The Bureau of Customs' (BOC) huge drug haul for 2012 was the result of their enhanced monitoring of airport arrivals, the official said.
"There is now a shift in the modus operandi of drug syndicates from locally manufacturing illegal drugs to importing finished products of dangerous drugs because of the tightened anti-illegal drugs smuggling campaign of the BOC at the country's various ports," Parong added.