The Vietnamese bulk carrier that was placed on hold by agents of the Bureau of Customs in Bacolod City last Wednesday was carrying 48 sacks of materials used to make bombs and not chemicals for manufacturing illegal drugs, an official said Friday.

Customs Commissioner Napoleon MorThe Vietnamese bulk carrier that was placed on hold by agents of the Bureau of Customs in Bacolod City last Wednesday was carrying 48 sacks of materials used to make bombs and not chemicals for manufacturing illegal drugs, an official said Friday.te, not ephedrine, which is an ingredient in manufacturing shabu, based on laboratory tests conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

“Despite that, those behind its shipment would still be held liable because the substance was considered undeclared items. The NFA (National Food Authority) should explain to us how these sacks of ammonium (sulfate) were mixed with the rice shipment,” he said.

Morales explained that the substance was placed in sacks “with NFA markings" onboard the 2,551 gross ton M/V Trai Thien 66 which docked at the Bredco Port in Bacolod City.

He said Customs operatives accidentally stumbled on the substance during the unloading of the sacks of rice when they noticed that there were also bags of ammonium sulfate, which was initially mistaken as an ingredient in making shabu.

Based on the Inward Foreign Manifest submitted to the BoC, the ship was supposed to have been loaded with 77,000 bags of long white rice, of which 25 percent were broken.

The ship has a crew of 18 Vietnamese nationals, and its captain was identified as Bui Van Chinh.

Since the ammonium was an “undeclared” shipment, Morales said he will ask the district collector of the Port of Iloilo to issue a warrant of seizure and detention against the contraband items and it will be later on forfeited in favor of the government.

“We don't want to drag the NFA entirely in the issue because there could be someone else or other unscrupulous individuals who were really behind its shipment,” Morales said.

The PDEA is the lead agency in investigating the shipment. The vessel, reportedly owned and operated by Trai Thien Shipping Company Limited, would not be allowed to leave the port while the probe is ongoing.