The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized shabu valued at P56.4 million concealed in a balikbayan box that arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) from Thailand.
According to Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio, the shabu packets, totaling 8,294 grams, tested positive for drugs during examination by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
The shipment, initially declared to contain household items, shoes, and motor parts from Thailand, arrived at the Manila port on April 7, the MICP-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) said.
“The bureau has caught and seized quite a number of balikbayan boxes using the same modus—of these individuals or organizations trying to pass on illegal drugs and other items in a harmless balikbayan box. Thankfully, our agents are on their toes and acted promptly after receiving the information,” Rubio said.
However, the MICP-CIIS received information suggesting that the shipment also contained illegal drugs, as well as misdeclared and undeclared items. This suspicion was later confirmed through small baggage x-ray scanning and a thorough 100 percent physical examination conducted by the Customs examiner.
The shabu was concealed inside plastic pouches hidden within two electric fans and five water heaters.
Upon inspection, the examination uncovered a "white crystalline substance" amounting to 8,294 grams.
The breakdown revealed that the first electric fan harbored eight pouches weighing 340 grams, 364 grams, 48 grams, 72 grams, 188 grams, 318 grams, 154 grams, and 108 grams, totaling 1,592 grams. The second electric fan contained ten pouches weighing 188 grams, 306 grams, 94 grams, 105 grams, 267 grams, 132 grams, 79 grams, 108 grams, 67 grams, and 233 grams, totaling 1,579 grams.
Additionally, the five water heaters were used to conceal shabu packets, containing 1,015 grams, 1,204 grams, 1,022 grams, 823 grams, and 1,059 grams, totaling 5,123 grams.
Based on PDEA estimates valuing a gram of shabu at P6,800, the total worth of the shabu discovered in the balikbayan box amounted to P56,399,200.
Analysis of the white crystalline substance using PDEA's Rigaku's Raman Spectroscopy yielded positive results for methamphetamine in both direct and test tube testing.