Home Php160.5 Million Worth of Shabu, Kush, Ecstasy Intercepted in Port of Clark, Pampanga, 2 Consignees Arrested

A total of Php160,540,000 worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride, popularly known as shabu; kush, a hybrid marijuana; and ecstasy, a party drug, was intercepted in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.

Two consignees were arrested as a result of the anti-drug operations.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron N. Aquino said that the dangerous drugs were concealed inside packages declared as canned goods.

On December 28, 2018, joint operatives of PDEA Regional Office III under the supervision of Director Gil T. Pabilona, and PDEA Regional Office-National Capital Region (PDEA RO-NCR) under Director Joel Plaza, in collaboration with the Bureau of Customs (BOC), intercepted two boxes containing one kilo of shabu, worth Php 6,800,000, and 200 pieces of ecstasy tablets worth Php 340,000 hidden inside cans of tomato paste.

The discovery was made during the X-ray screening that revealed the boxes contained organic substances. The package was then subjected to PDEA K9 sweeping and yielded positive indication of illegal drugs. Upon inspection, it was found out that the canned tomato pastes leaked out.

A series of interdiction operations conducted by PDEA and the BOC on January 10, 13, and 14, 2019 in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga led to the interception of 18 more kilograms of shabu, with an estimated market value of Php122,400,000, and three kilograms of kush, worth Php3,800,000 which were concealed inside boxes passed off as food and clothing.

“All packages originated from Las Vegas City, Nevada, USA. However, the intended receivers failed to fetch the shipped goods,” Aquino said.

On January 16, 2019, at around 5:30 in the afternoon, the same operating unit arrested Edna Valenzuela, alias Belinda Azures, 44 years old; and her daughter Judy Ann, 22, after receiving a package during a controlled delivery operation in their house along M. Naval Street, Barangay San Roque, Navotas City.

Confiscated from them were two carton boxes containing more or less four kilos of shabu, with an estimated street value of Php27,200,000.

Controlled delivery is a technique used when a consignment of illicit drugs is detected and allowed to go forward under the control and surveillance of law enforcement officers in order to secure evidence against the organizers of such illicit drug traffic.

Cases for violation of Section 4 (Importation of Dangerous Drugs), in relation to Section 26 (Conspiracy to Import), and Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act 9165, or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, await the suspects.

“The identities and information of the shippers, whose addresses were all in Las Vegas, Nevada, are currently the subject of investigation and validation. Reports revealed that the recent trafficking of drug-laden packages were perpetrated by Mexican Sinaloa Drug Cartel and Chinese drug syndicates,” Aquino added.

Increased trafficking of illegal drugs using mail and parcel services

Aquino said the number of interception of illegal drugs via courier services rose to 775 percent, from four in 2017 to 35 incidences in 2018.

For the period, mail and parcel interdiction operations in airports and seaports were conducted leading to the seizure of 94.67 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, 16,713 pieces of ecstasy tablets, and 1,109.5 grams of marijuana kush, a hybrid marijuana, with a total estimated market value of P672,161,877.88, and the arrests of consignees.

“Out of the interdiction operations conducted, 31 were interception of packages containing illegal drugs that originated from California, USA,” Aquino noted.

Aquino attributed the increase in the interception of drug-laden parcels to the enhanced capability of PDEA personnel to detect them. PDEA agents assigned in the airports and seaports have undergone X-ray cargo screening training conducted by the Office of the Transportation Security (OTS). “They regularly conduct K9 sweeping and parcel screening on all cargo terminals nationwide,” he said.

To stop drug smuggling using vulnerable seaports and airports across the country, PDEA also established three Airport Interdiction Units (AIUs), three International Airport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Groups (IADITGs), and 12 Seaport Interdiction Units (SIUs) in its regional offices.

Since 2015, the total estimated market value of illegal drugs concealed inside packages that were intercepted by PDEA, with the support of local law enforcement agencies and foreign counterparts, amounted to P1,126,797,518.

“PDEA remains vigilant to ensure packages containing illegal drugs are intercepted and kept from being delivered,” the PDEA chief said, adding that the agency is thankful for the participation of the courier service providers in the successful interception of the contraband. (PDEA)