P81.6 million worth of ‘shabu’ found at courier firm’s office in Mandaue City

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas conduct an inventory after they seized 12 packs of shabu concealed inside Chinese tea packs wrapped in black rubber material at a warehouse in Mandaue City last Saturday. (Photo courtesy of PDEA-7)

MANILA, Philippines — Twelve kilograms of crystal meth or shabu worth P81.6 million were found by authorities at the regional headquarters of a known courier firm in Mandaue City during a random inspection on Saturday afternoon.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Sunday said its personnel from the Regional Office 7 Seaport Interdiction Unit conducted the operation around 3 p.m. on August 15.

“During the course of the K9 Paneling and sweeping of cargoes, the PDEA K9 showed indicators that the three black boxes with LED spotlight contained illegal drugs,” the agency said in a statement.

Because of this, the PDEA subjected the three boxes to X-Ray examination at Pier 3 in Cebu City. The examination indicated that the boxes contained organic substance contrary to the declared cargo contents.

“The boxes were opened and upon inspection of the items, all boxes contained a total of 12 kilos vacuum sealed shabu placed in tea bags and all individually wrapped and sealed with black rubber,” it said.

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas conduct an inventory after they seized 12 packs of shabu concealed inside Chinese tea packs wrapped in black rubber material at a warehouse in Mandaue City last Saturday. (Photo courtesy of PDEA-7)

“Random screening tests were done which tested positive for the presence of meth hydrochloride,” the PDEA added.

The shipper and recipient of the boxes were identified. PDEA said they will face investigation and charges.

In a statement to INQUIRER.net, the courier company said it is already cooperating with PDEA on the incident.

“As a matter of security protocol, any suspicious items we find are immediately turned over to the proper law enforcement agencies for investigation,” it said.

“We reiterate that as a responsible and law-abiding corporate entity, we are committed to ensuring that no illegal items get through,” it added.

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas conduct an inventory after they seized 12 packs of shabu concealed inside Chinese tea packs wrapped in black rubber material at a warehouse in Mandaue City last Saturday. (Photo courtesy of PDEA-7)

JE