P3.6 billion shabu seized in Pampanga

MANILA, Philippines — About P3.6 billion worth of shabu was seized in a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga late Wednesday, the biggest catch so far under the Marcos administration, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.

The shabu was intercepted by the Bureau of Customs-Port of Subic in collaboration with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The 530 kilos of methamphetamine placed in mixed red tea bags and golden tea bags were placed inside brown boxes that also contained either a bag of chicharon or a bag of dried fish “to conceal the illegal drugs, along with cases of soft drinks and sacks of feed with markings in Thai language.”

Remulla said the operation at the warehouse in Purok 5, barangay San Jose Malino was a result of a multi-agency operation led by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

“We expect to be carrying out more operations of this nature in ports because most of these drugs are brought here via the Customs, via containers or via shipments being brought into our ports,” he said in a press briefing. “We suspect that most of the drugs, maybe 85 percent, come in through the ports.”

The operation, initiated following a derogatory report from the BOC Intelligence Group, resulted in the seizure of 530 packs, each containing approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine. These illicit substances were concealed within a container originally declared to contain 881 bags of animal feed from Thailand.

District Collector Ciriaco DG Ugay promptly issued a warrant of seizure and detention on Sept. 23. The seized drugs were immediately handed over to the PDEA, followed by the execution of a controlled delivery