Higit P199.7 milyong halaga ng shabu at high-grade marijuana ang nasabat mula sa packages na idineklara bilang ‘personal effects’ sa isang warehouse sa Pasay City, sa ginanap na inspeksyon ni Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno, kasama ang Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Binigyang-diin ni BOC-NAIA District Collector Atty. Yasmin O. Mapa ang “Port’s continued vigilance in screening shipments and strengthening coordination with partner agencies to prevent attempts to smuggle illegal drugs through the country’s primary international gateway.”
Sa ulat ng tanggapan ni Mapa, ang nasabing shipment ng 15 boxes mula Canada ay napuna sa BOC X-ray Inspection Project (XIP) dahil sa kahina-hinalang images sa X-ray screening, dahilan upang mag-isyu ng Alert Order at magsagawa ng 100% physical examination at verification.
Doon nadiskubre ang anim na kahong naglalaman ng 28 cans na may 28,324 grams ng suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride o “shabu” na may halagang ?192.603 million at isa pang kahon na may 4,746 grams ng suspected high-grade marijuana o “kush,” na nagkakahalaga ng ?7.119 million. Natagpuan din ang 20 towels at 20 duvets na diumano ay may lamang liquid methamphetamine.
Ayon kay Mapa, “samples taken from the suspected shabu, high-grade marijuana and liquid methamphetamine were subjected to laboratory examination by PDEA and yielded positive results for methamphetamine hydrochloride and cannabis.”
Ang operasyon ay ginawa sa pakikipag-ugnayan sa PDEA, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF), Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), XIP, NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG) at iba pang concerned authorities.
Sinabi ni Mapa na “in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s directive to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs and smuggling, the BOC, under Commissioner Nepomuceno’s leadership, continues to strengthen border protection through enhanced intelligence, technology, and inter-agency coordination.”
Ayon naman kay Nepomuceno, “the interception demonstrates the critical role of intelligence-driven profiling, X-ray screening and close inter-agency coordination in preventing illegal drugs from entering the country.”
“Hindi natin hahayaang gawing daan ang ating mga paliparan para sa pagpasok ng illegal drugs. With better technology, sharper intelligence, and strong coordination with our partner agencies, mas napapalakas natin ang ating kakayahang matukoy at mapigilan ang mga ganitong shipment bago pa makarating sa ating mga komunidad,” dagdag pa niya.
