BUSTED. Suspected shabu, valued at more than PHP100 million, which arrived from the US on Dec. 18, 2023, is confiscated by the Bureau of Customs in Port of Clark in Pampanga. The illegal drugs were declared as brochures. (Photo courtesy of BOC)
MANILA – Three parcels containing suspected shabu, valued at more than PHP100 million, were recently seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Clark, Pampanga.
According to District Collector Erastus Sandino Austria, the illegal drugs, with an estimated street value of PHP103,113,600, were initially marked “suspicious” by the port’s X-ray Inspection Project.
The parcels, declared as “brochures” from Texas, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, the United States, arrived on Dec. 18 and underwent thorough inspection. They were later found to contain plastic pouches containing crystalline materials suspected to be shabu.
A chemical laboratory analysis conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) confirmed that the substances were indeed shabu, a dangerous drug under Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Austria has issued Warrants of Seizure and Detention against the shipments for violation of RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in connection with RA 9165.
BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, meanwhile, vowed to continue to partner with law enforcement agencies to stop the entry of illegal drugs into the country.
"Though there is still much work to do in the Bureau of Customs to achieve greatness in our efforts to stop any illegal attempts to import controlled substances into the country, we will continue to strengthen our coordination with our partner law enforcement agencies in protecting our nation from the damaging effects of drug trafficking," Rubio said in a statement on Saturday. (PNA)
