India, Sept. 22 -- Over PHP2.3 billion worth of smuggled goods, including illegal drugs, were confiscated from July to August this year, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported on Monday.

In a statement, Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the BOC carried out 128 enforcement operations during the period in accordance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to crush smuggling.

Among those seized were PHP1.230 billion worth of illegal drugs; PHP929 million worth of illicit cigarettes, tobacco, and vape; and PHP178 million worth of agricultural products.

The campaign against illegal drugs was conducted in close coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group, and other ...