Lawmakers seek probe of P6.4-B shabu shipment

MANILA, Philippines -  Administration lawmakers have filed separate resolutions in the House of Representatives calling for an investigation on how 604 kilos of shabu, with a street value of P6.4 billion, was smuggled into the country despite the government’s relentless war against illegal drugs.

“The state needs to enhance further the law against illegal drugs through effective law enforcement and successful prosecution,” said Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs. 

He said the committee wants to know the extent of involvement of Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel since the contraband was found inside five metal insulators or cylindrical rollers used for printing presses.

The shipment, which came from China, is allegedly owned by importer EMT Trading.

Valenzuela City Rep. Weslie Gatchalian filed a separate resolution directing the appropriate committees to look into the entry of shabu shipment through the BOC’s express or green lane.

“It is a declared policy of the state to crack down on the illicit importation of illegal substance from outside its borders,” he said. 

Operatives from the BOC’s Intelligence and Investigation Service, the National Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Organized Transnational Crime Division and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency raided a warehouse in Paso de Blas, Valenzuela last May 26 and recovered the drug shipment. 

The raid stemmed from an intelligence report from China’s customs authorities.  

Barbers said he will immediately convene his panel once the House goes on its second regular session on July 24 to investigate whether BOC officials or employees were involved in smuggling the shipment into the country.  

Reports said EMT Trading was confirmed to have been granted express lane privilege by the BOC despite its questionable credentials.

BOC officials said the shipments of companies that usually import the same products pass through the express lane and do not undergo inspection or x-ray examination.