BOC seizes yacht used to transport P9.6-B shabu in Batangas

MANILA – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized the private yacht allegedly used to transport the PHP9.6 billion worth of shabu which was intercepted at a checkpoint in Alitagtag, Batangas last April.

In a news release Tuesday, the BOC said its officers from the Port of Manila (POM) implemented a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) and seized the yacht in Nasugbu town on June 28. They also discovered three more undocumented private yachts in the area.

These yachts all belong to a person whose identity was withheld in compliance with data privacy laws, it said.

The BOC said these yachts currently docked in Nasugbu will be turned over to the POM Auction and Cargo Disposal Division pursuant to Customs Administrative Order No. 10-2020 "Seizure and Forfeiture Proceedings and Appeals Process."

The WSD was issued by the POM District Collector Rizalino Jose Torralba against the subject vessels for violation of Section 1113 of Republic Act 10863, also known as the "Customs Modernization and Tariff Act."

"Our team is working tirelessly to collaborate closely with international partners, law enforcement agencies, and other government bodies to ensure coordinated and effective responses. Their efforts have already yielded significant results, and we are confident that, with continued vigilance, we will disrupt and dismantle these criminal operations," Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said.

Last May, police officers arrested Canadian Thomas Gordon O'Quinn, also known as James Toby Martin, who is allegedly linked to the April 15 Batangas shabu haul.

O'Quinn allegedly rented a yacht to transport the narcotics through the waters off Nasugbu. (PNA)