The Bureau of Customs (BOC) – Port of NAIA has intercepted 28 kilos of ‘agarwood’ amounting to Php2.4 million.

The BOC said that officials were able to bust the rare wood in three packages in a warehouse in Pasay City.

Documents showed that the packages were misdeclared as face masks and clothes, shoes and handbags, and leather jackets, face masks and pants.

The packages were from Davao City and supposedly bound for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Customs said that upon X-ray inspection, the packages yielded different images compared to what was declared by the sender.

The BOC said the packages were attempted to be exported without the necessary permits from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

According to the DENR, agarwood is a resin valued for its distinctive fragrance. It is formed when the host tree becomes infected with a mold called phialophoraparasitica.

The DENR reiterates that selling of agarwood is illegal in the Philippines. The tree species is one of the rarest and most expensive in the world.

A kilo of agarwood fetches as much as PHP750,000. Its fragrant resin is used to make incense, perfume and medicinal products particularly in the Middle East and Asia.