By Betheena Kae Unite Several firearms accessories such as magazines and ammunition believed to be used for armed insurgency and shipped to the country using balikbayan boxes were seized by the Bureau of Customs Monday. BOC presents several firearms accessories like ammunition and magazines that were seized by Customs agents through a controlled delivery in Zambales. (Betheena Kae Unite/ MANILA BULLETIN) Behind jars of coffee, various firearms accessories worth around P5.5 million were found inside six balikbayan boxes from the United States intended for delivery in Zambales. Magazines and ammunition of guns like .45-caliber, M16, and AK-47 were among the discovered items inside the balikbayan boxes sent by a certain Anselmo dela Cruz to his relative named Gregorio dela Cruz five months ago. According to Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña , they have received an intelligence report that the shipment will arrive into the country using balikbayan boxes “allegedly intended for armed insurgency.” “There was also a confidential information that this could be used for insurgency, itong mga accessories na 'to,” Enforcement and Security Service Director Yogi Ruiz said. Lapeña said the information came from the Philippine National Police and furthered that the kind of ammunition and accessories found in the boxes are similar to those used by the rebels in the country. However, he said this is part of their ongoing investigation. “These will fit ‘yung mga firearms nila that's why the information points to that but again the information -- it is subject to investigation,” Lapena said. Controlled delivery In order to gather evidence and identify personalities involved in the illegal importation, a controlled delivery five months after the shipments arrived was conducted in Zambales, where the shipments were supposed to be delivered by a forwarding company. During the controlled delivery, two persons, were apprehended. They were identified as Hilario Vicencio, 54, of San Isidro, San Marcelino, Zambales; and Jun Navarro, 69, of Sta Maria, Castillejos, Zambales. The consignee -- Gregorio dela Cruz, on the other hand, was not there during the controlled delivery. He is now at large. Lapena said the arrested persons “only knew that the packages contained coffee and canned goods from their relatives in the US.” According to Ruiz, they opened the boxes during the controlled delivery. “Hindi sila aware, they denied na alam nila kung ano ang laman but considering the number of the ammunition and magazines na nandito hindi puwedeng hindi ka aware (He is not aware, they denied that they know what are inside the boxes but considering the number of ammunition and magazines found in the boxes, it is unlikely that they are not aware),” Ruiz said. The sender and the consignee are also subject to background check, he added. The shipments arrived at the Port of Manila five months ago. The contents of the boxes were detected during x-ray inspection and were subject to physical examination due to the intelligence report. A warrant of seizure and detention was then issued over the shipments before a controlled delivery was launched.