BOC, PDEA join forces at CDO ports

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The newly organized Bureau of CustomsPort of Cagayan de Oro’s Anti-Smuggling and Anti-Corruption Team (BOCCDO Team) has teamed up with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) in Northern Mindanao to beef up the Duterte administration’s war against illegal drugs.

The BOC-CDO team tied up with PDEA to raise the country’s border security and thwart the possible entry of illegal drugs through the CDO port and its three sub-ports, namely the Mindanao International Container Terminal (MICT), Ozamis and Iligan.

PDEA agents, backed by drug-sniffing dogs, earlier combed the Mindanao Container Port Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental in search for illegal drugs.

The PDEA in Region 10 sent last week to the BOC-CDO two of its K9 teams, which searched shipments seized at the Designated Examination Area (DEA).

The mission of the BOC-CDO Team, conceptualized by Customs Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group (IG) Jessie Dellosa and implemented by BOC District Collector Ruby Claudia Alameda, will be in line with the Duterte administration’s declaration of war against the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country.

The BOC-CDO team said that they have already began establishing closer coordination with the PDEA, through its Regional Director Adrianne Alvarino.

“We are very grateful to the PDEA who has been fully supportive of our anti-drug campaign,” said BOC-CDO Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) officer-in-charge Alvin Y. Enciso.

Under their joint anti-drug campaign, personnel from both the BOCCDO team and PDEA would inspect importations at the DEA, especially those that came from “high risk” countries or places known as sources or manufacturers of these contraband goods.

In line with the directive given by former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, the BOC-CDO team would continuously hold random checks of containers to make sure that no imported illegal drugs or its precursor were able to enter the country.

“We are also working out an information sharing system with the intelligence and enforcement offices through the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA). Hopefully, this will help us pinpoint the location of shipments that might be carrying illegal drugs,” he added.

Aside from PDEA, Enciso said they were also planning to form alliances with other government agencies to further beef up the campaign against illegal drugs such as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).