P3.4-billion shabu found in Manila port

MANILA, Philippines — Around 500 kilos of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, with a street value of P3.4 billion, were found in an unclaimed shipping container at the Manila International Container Port yesterday.

According to initial reports, the suspected narcotics, hidden in two magnetic scrap lifters, were found by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel at around 10 a.m., PDEA chief Aaron Aquino said.

BOC Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said the 500 kilos of shabu was the bureau’s biggest shabu haul since he assumed the post on Aug. 30, 2017.

The BOC seized 604 kilos of shabu, hidden in metal cylinders, from two Valenzuela City warehouses on May 26, 2017 during the term of Lapeña’s predecessor, Nicanor Faeldon.

Each four-ton magnetic lifter held 250 kilos of shabu. The lifters were then placed in a 20-footer shipping container consigned to Vecaba Trading International, a business based in Sampaloc, Manila owned by Vedacio Cabral Araquel, the BOC said.

Lapeña said Vecaba Trading is not an accredited importer of the BOC but they allowed the shipment to go through to capture those who would claim the shipment.

However, the shipment, misdeclared as doorframes, remained unclaimed since arriving at the port on June 28.

Aquino said the shipment came from Malaysia but they suspect it was sourced from another country since Malaysia, just like the Philippines, is reportedly a known a transshipment port for illegal drugs.

Lapeña is not discounting the possibility that there are BOC personnel who are part of syndicates smuggling illegal drugs into the country.