Illustration by RENE ELEVERA
Shortly after intercepting P4.3 billion worth of “shabu” (crystal meth) in two magnetic lifters at a Manila port on Aug. 7, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino tangled with Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña over four similar lifters found in a Cavite warehouse.
Though empty when found, Aquino said at a congressional hearing that the sniffer dogs’ reaction and
other circumstantial evidence showed that the lifters had been used to smuggle some P6.8 billion worth of shabu.
Stung by Aquino’s insinuation that customs had been negligent, Lapeña countered that they could have intercepted it had the PDEA given them timely intelligence.
President Rodrigo Duterte waded into the fray and said that the PDEA’s assessment was “pure speculation.”
Asked by the Inquirer if he still maintained that the lifters had contained shabu, Aquino replied with a firm “Yes.”