PDEA director insists magnetic lifters in Cavite had P6.8B worth of shabu

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino maintained that the four magnetic lifters found in Cavite contained P6.8 billion worth of shabu.

During the resumption of the House inquiry into the issue on Thursday, Aquino noted that they conducted swab tests on the magnetic lifters that the Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized on Aug. 7 at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

“We conducted swab tests on the two MICP lifters kahapon (yesterday). It’s negative. It doesn’t mean pag negative, walang drugs (if it’s negative it doesn’t mean it didn’t contain drugs),” Aquino said.

The PDEA director also admitted that the swab test was not a “100 percent” indicator of the presence of an illegal drug.

The BOC earlier seized 355 kilograms of shabu worth P4.3 billion from these lifters found inside an abandoned container at the MICP.

READ: 1 ton of shabu worth P6.8B eludes PDEA, PNP

P6.8-B ‘shabu’ smuggling: BOC men probed

Criticized for his conclusion

The embattled PDEA chief was earlier criticized for concluding that P6.8 billion worth of shabu were found inside in the four magnetic lifters they discovered in a warehouse in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite province on Aug. 9.

During the House inquiry into the incident, Aquino vouched for the credibility of their K9 dogs.

“Kung tao po ‘yun ang dami na niyang medalya. Marami na pong accomplishment ‘yung aso na ‘yun. That dog will never go wrong,” he asserted, noting that their drug-sniffing dogs responded twice in every magnetic lifter found in Cavite.

Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo then asked Aquino if he would stand by his earlier assessment and the PDEA director answered: “Yes sir, they contain illegal drugs.”

READ: BOC: 4 magnetic lifters in Cavite tested negative for shabu

BOC belies PDEA claim of P6.8-B ‘shabu’ smuggling

Unfair

The PDEA chief also cried foul over commentaries that he made unfounded claims when he concluded that the magnetic lifters found Cavite contained shabu.

Quimbo asked him if these accusations were unfair and the PDEA director said: “Precisely, it’s unfair because I’m only telling the truth and precisely, the truth and goodness will prevail.”

Aquino also insisted that the lifters found at the MICP and in Cavite were similar and both contained illegal drugs.

“Initially sir nagpa-presscon ako (I conducted a press conference) precisely because positive talaga kahit walang (even without) corpus delicti,” he said.

“Shabu lang ang nawala (shabu was not found in the lifters in Cavite), pareho lahat (but it’s the same with the MICP lifters which were found with shabu),” he added.   /vvp