The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Friday it successfully obtained a conviction in a major drug smuggling case, reaffirming its commitment to enforcing border security and Philippine law.
On December 9, 2025, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Manila found Muktasil Abundol Assimudin, Emmanuel Paulo Delos Reyes Landicho, and George Sim Fernandez guilty of violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. Each was sentenced to reclusion perpetua and fined Php 50 million.
The case stemmed from the seizure of about 146.81 kilograms of illegal drugs valued at nearly Php 998.3 million, which arrived at the Manila International Container Port in January 2019.
BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the verdict shows that enforcement and legal processes are effective, and the agency will continue to pursue cases until justice is achieved.
“The conviction of those behind this massive drug shipment demonstrates that our enforcement and legal processes are working. We will continue to pursue every case until justice is fully upheld,” Nepomuceno stressed.
The bureau committed to strengthen its legal and operational mechanisms to ensure thorough investigation and prosecution of smuggling cases.