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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Balikbayan drugs': P749M 'shabu' seized in foiled smuggling attempt at Manila port

'Balikbayan drugs': P749M 'shabu' seized in foiled smuggling attempt at Manila port

Published Jul 7, 2025 06:07 pm
(PDEA PHOTO)
(PDEA PHOTO)
Government anti-narcotics agents confiscated on Monday, July 7, around P749 million worth of crystal meth or “shabu” during an interdiction operation at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) revealed.
PDEA and Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel discovered 110 kilograms of shabu stuffed in balikbayan boxes in what authorities deemed as a large-scale drug smuggling attempt at the MICP around 11:30 a.m.
The balikbayan boxes were addressed to recipients in Mandaluyong City and Quezon City. The shipments were packed in multiple layers to avoid detection, according to the PDEA.
No suspect has been arrested so far but the PDEA said that it was working with concerned government agencies to identify those behind the shipment and trace any local contacts connected to the smuggling attempt.
“[The] interdiction is the result of constant vigilance and close coordination among our agencies,” PDEA Director-General Isagani R. Nerez asserted. “Every time we stop illegal drugs at our ports, we protect countless families and communities from their harmful effects.”
The operation was carried out inside the MICP’s Container Facility Station 3, where four balikbayan boxes from California were inspected. 
That’s when the authorities discovered 106 vacuum-sealed plastic packs filled with white crystalline substances carefully concealed in boxes of cereal, snack packs, and instant noodles.
“Initial testing confirmed that the seized substances were methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu). All evidence has been secured and sent for further laboratory analysis and case documentation,” the PDEA said in a statement.
The operation was carried out by the PDEA’s Seaport Interdiction Unit, Regional Office NCR K9 Unit, the PDEA Regional Office NCR Manila District Office, the Bureau of Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force, and the Philippine Coast Guard.
Nerez emphasized that the operation underscores the government’s efforts to tighten border security and stop the entry of illegal drugs into the country, in line with President Marcos Jr.’s directive to intensify interdiction measures in all ports of entry.
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