South African national arrested at MCIA: P120 million shabu seized

CEBU, Philippines — Authorities seized Wednesday night packs of suspected shabu valued at more than P120 million concealed in the luggage of a South African national who arrived at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

The suspect was identified as Pietro Aliquo, who arrived in Cebu from Doha, Qatar.

Leia Alcantara, information officer of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas (PDEA-7), said they conducted the operation along with other law enforcement agencies in response to the request of the Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu-Subport of Mactan for assistance after they identified through x-ray some suspicious items concealed in Aliquo's briefcase and two suitcases.

The K9 team then arrived and inspected the luggage through "Bulik," a narcotic detection dog, that alerted his handler of the possible presence of dangerous drugs inside the travel bags.

A thorough check of the three items led to the discovery of a total of 10 packs of suspected shabu weighing around 17,699 grams worth P120,353,200 in the hidden compartments.

Initial tests on the substances were then conducted by a PDEA-7 chemist, which yielded a positive result for dangerous drugs.

Expected delivery

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard "Ahong" Chan, who was also at the airport Wednesday night, said he was able to talk to the foreign national who told him that someone asked him (the foreigner) to bring the luggage to the Philippines.

Chan added that Aliqou said he had already booked a room in one of the hotels in Lapu-Lapu City, where he expected the luggage would be picked up.

He said he had already mandated PDEA-7 to identify the receiver of the luggage.

He commended the agency for doing a good job citing the drugs were only intercepted in Mactan airport and were not detected in South Africa and Doha, Qatar, where the suspect came from.

Alcantara said the pieces of drug evidence have been submitted to the PDEA-7 laboratory for chemical analysis.

Alcantara said the suspect would face charges for violating Section 4 (importation of dangerous drugs), Article II of the Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Measures

Meanwhile, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn will be issuing an executive order that would lay down protocol for vessels docking in Cebu Province, in line with the continued initiative to combat the entry of illegal drugs into the island.

Garcia learned from the officials of the agencies that are members of One Cebu Island Inter-Agency Interdiction Task Force (OC-IATF) that some vessels dock on the provincial shores without the necessary papers like those that dock in the private ports.

The task force – with member agencies like the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-7); Philippine Coast Guard (PCG); Naval Forces Central (NAVFORCEN); Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA); Cebu Port Authority (CPA); and Bureaus of Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) – agreed to look into these suspicious activities of the vessels docking on the shores of Cebu Province.

The EO that the governor will issue will be backed by a provincial ordinance and will include a protocol that will also compel private ports to coordinate with the task force, according to the Capitol’s news portal, Sugbo News.

During the meeting of Garcia with the task force, it was also found out that some vessels would turn off their automatic identification systems (AIS) transponders, a maritime device that automatically provides the coastal authorities the position, identification and other information of a vessel entering a coastal jurisdiction.

Some of these vessels would turn off these transponders so as not to be monitored by the authorities but according to Commodore Luisito Sibayan, the commander of the Coast Guard District Central Visayas, they have ways to still locate these vessels.

Garcia is set to visit the National Coast Watch Center of the PCG in Pier 3 Cebu City next week to see for herself the means available in fighting against illegal drugs and the other needed means to improve the operation and efficient work in combating the same. – Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon and Le Phyllis F. Antojado, JMD (FREEMAN)