By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
A Bacoor City-bound parcel containing 1.1 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride, more commonly known as “shabu”, with a street value amounting to P7.56 million was successfully seized by the officials from the Bureau of Customs (BOC)—NAIA. The parcel originated from Malaysia.
Through enhanced X-ray scanning by the BOC’s X-ray Inspection Project (XIP), the parcel was flagged for physical examination, prompting customs authorities to inspect the shipment. Found inside were assorted undergarments, tea bags, a vacuum cleaner, and a rice cooker.
Upon further scrutiny by customs officials, fourteen tape-sealed transparent plastic bags wrapped in brown packaging tape containing a white crystalline substance were found inside the vacuum cleaner.
The rice cooker, on the other hand, yielded twelve tape-sealed transparent plastic bags containing the same substance.
These samples uncovered from the shipment were handed over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), who eventually confirmed that the samples contained methamphetamine hydrochloride, classified as a dangerous drug under the amended provisions of Republic Act No. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).
Said operation is in line with the mandate of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., whose governance promotes a whole-of-government approach in addressing illegal drug trafficking and transnational crime.
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