(MB FILE PHOTO)
Government anti-narcotics authorities seized on Saturday, Aug. 30, around P75,072,000 worth of shabu following the arrest of two alleged drug personalities during the interdiction operation at a warehouse of the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said.
The Bureau of Customs together with the Clark Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (CRK-IADITG) headed by the PDEA seized at around 5:27 p.m. a suspicious parcel declared as an “Industrial Water Chiller” with tracking number 883725003206, shipped from Mexico and consigned to an address in Cainta, Rizal.
Upon further inspection, the operatives discovered 11.04 kilograms of shabu concealed in the shipment, leading to the arrest of two suspects with aliases Dexs, 52, of Cebu and Maca, 54, of Tarlac.
Aside from shabu, authorities also confiscated other pieces of non-drug evidence including identification documents, a mobile phone, vehicle and various shipping papers linked to the smuggling attempt.
The suspects face charges for violation of Sections 4 (Importation of Dangerous Drugs), 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) and 20 (Confiscation and Forfeiture of the Proceeds or Instruments of the Unlawful Act) of Article II of Republic Act (RA) 9165 or “The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.’’
In a statement, the PDEA Regional Office III confirmed that the confiscated substance will undergo laboratory examination while the arrested personalities are now under custody.
If found guilty, the PDEA said that the suspects face penalties of life imprisonment and a fine ranging from P500,000 to P10 million.