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The Bureau of Customs and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency signed a memorandum of agreement on February 26 to strengthen campaign against dangerous and illegal drugs
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The agreement builds on a 2023 inter-agency framework and introduces clearer safeguards and operational protocols
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Agencies to integrate databases, enhance real-time information sharing, and reinforce port scanning technologies
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A Drug Interdiction Task Group will be created to coordinate joint port operations
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BOC seized P2.295 billion worth of illegal drugs in 2025; P689 million from Jan. 1 to Feb. 20, 2026
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) signed an agreement on February 26, 2026, formalizing an expanded partnership aimed at intensifying efforts against the smuggling, importation, exportation, and transshipment of dangerous drugs and similar illegal or controlled goods.
The memorandum of agreement (MOA) expands on the inter-agency coordination framework set in 2023, including policy directives and operational inputs from PDEA after a joint meeting in August last year, BOC said in media release.
Under the MOA, both agencies will boost digital and operational collaboration through integrated databases, real-time information-sharing mechanisms, and reinforced scanning and inspection technologies at ports of entry.
Regular coordination meetings and special operational briefings will also be institutionalized to expedite interdiction efforts, streamline enforcement procedures, and close operational gaps.
A key feature of the agreement is the creation of a Drug Interdiction Task Group, which will serve as the primary coordinating body for joint port operations and intelligence-driven enforcement actions across major gateways.
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Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the MOA institutionalizes closer coordination between the two agencies, underscoring the BOC’s frontline role in border control in support of PDEA’s lead anti-illegal drug enforcement efforts under director general Isagani Nerez.
Nerez, for his part, emphasized that the agreement symbolizes strengthened interagency solidarity and advances the shared objective of reinforcing border controls and synchronizing efforts to suppress illegal drug trafficking networks.
Since assuming office in July, Nepomuceno has intensified anti-drug operations that resulted in the seizure of approximately P2.295 billion worth of dangerous drugs by end-2025, in coordination with PDEA and other enforcement agencies.
From January 1 to February 20, 2026, the BOC confiscated an additional P689 million worth of illegal drugs, sustaining the momentum of the interagency campaign.
