Price of shabu to rise – PDEA
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2019 06:31:13 +0000
AN AGENT conducts an inventory of shabu valued at P1.8 billion seized by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Customs at the Port of Manila. (Jansen Romero)
The price of shabu in the illegal market is expected to rise sharply following the seizure of nearly P3-billion worth of the contraband in twin operations the past few days, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
On Friday, Customs authorities discovered 12 sacks of shabu shipped from Vietnam at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
They were concealed among 474 sacks of plastic resin found in a 40-foot container consigned to Wealth Lotus Empire Corp. It was allegedly processed by Customs broker Jane Castillo with business address in Intramuros, Manila.
The latest discovery came just three days after police and drug operatives raided a house inside a posh village in Muntinlupa City and confiscated P1.1-billion worth of shabu packed in tea bags.
PDEA General Director Aaron Aquino said the recent seizures will probably reduce the supply of shabu in the country.
“Of course malaki-laki ito, definitely medyo magmamahal na naman shabu. The price now ranges from P4,000 up per gram, before it went down to around P1,200 per gram,” Aquino said.
The foiled drug shipment was declared as plastic resin and arrived at the Manila North Harbor on March 17, declared as plastic resin.
Every kilo of shabu was packed in a green packaging of what looked like a Chinese tea product.
The PDEA was tipped off that certain shipments aboard the vessel Callao Bridge V145E may contain illegal drugs prompted a full examination on the suspected container.
Several sacks tied with yellow tape, which contained items wrapped in clear cellophane and sealed in foil packaging, were then found in the container. The items were then confirmed as shabu.
Aquino said the seized contraband was similar to the recent drug bust in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
“Operation of PDEA and Customs started when Vietnam police seized last March 20 300 kilograms of shabu in a buy-bust operation in Ho Chi Minh allegedly run by Chinese national who uses textile company as cover-up,” Aquino said.
The PDEA received the intelligence from Vietnam at 2 a.m. on Friday that “a cargo going to Manila contains huge amounts of illegal drugs.”
The suspected container was located at 12:40 p.m. and subjected to x-ray inspection at 3:30 p.m. Around 6 p.m., the illegal drugs were then uncovered.
MICP District Collector Sandino Austria said a backtracking on the shipment will be conducted.
“We have already revoked the Customs accreditation of the involved consignee, Wealth Lotus Empire Corp., and Customs broker Castillo. Also, we will also file appropriate criminal and administrative charges against those involved in the importation of illegal-drugs,” Austria said.
It was the single biggest drug seizure at Customs, nearly two thirds of the more than P3-billion shabu seized last year at the ports of NAIA, Clark, and MICP.
The figure was provided last January by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo.
Despite the deadly government crackdown against illegal drugs, manufacturing and smuggling of illegal drugs remain a problem.
Aquino said the absence of death penalty has emboldened Chinese chemists and smugglers.
“They will never stop drug trafficking and smuggling of illegal drugs in our country. They will never stop putting up drug laboratories in our country,” Aquino said. “When we interrogate Chinese chemists, or anyone involved in the illegal drug trade, the first thing they will tell is that there’s no death penalty in the Philipines, and that’s the main reason. That they will continue to smuggle drugs. They can buy anybody – judges, prosecutors, even law enforcers, and return to their country safely.” (Betheena Unite)