Some P58.31 million worth of shabu shipment weighing 8.575 kilos and hidden in packages of assorted dried spices was seized by authorities in Manila.
The shipment from Nigeria containing shabuwas intercepted in San Andres, Manila by a team from the Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and NAIA-Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA IADITG).
The subject shipment was imported from Nigeria and declared as “food stuff”. However, upon evaluation of covering import documents and verification, the same was found to have been illegally imported into the country without the necessary import permits from the DA-BPI.
Accordingly, the BOC-NAIA immediately coordinated with DA-BPI as part of due diligence and to further check for other possible violations of the subject importation prior to possible condemnation/disposal by DA-BPI.
The BOC-NAIA and the BPI likewise coordinated with PDEA and NAIA IADITG to verify possible inclusions of illegal drugs in the subject packages considering that the same came from Nigeria, which was previously identified as possible source of illegal drugs.
Upon 100 percent physical examination, the operatives of the joint inter-agency units found that the package also contained 8.575 kilos of white crystalline substance inside a white plastic bowl concealed in the packages of various dried spices, which were later confirmed through PDEA Field Test as shabu.
The illegal drugs are now in the custody of PDEA for further investigation for profiling and case build-up against personalities involved for possible prosecution for violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 in relation to Section 1401 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 2016.
The effort is pursuant to the directives of Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz and is part of the marching orders of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., to curtail the smuggling of drugs and ensure the implementation of effective border protection measures. (Baby Cuevas)
