Bureau of Customs – Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service personnel inspect boxes of tea bags from Thailand, which were eventually discovered to be packed with crystal meth or shabu worth an estimated P3.8 billion. Customs officials said the shipment arrived at the Port of Subic last September 18. (Photo from the Bureau of Customs)
MANILA, Philippines — An estimated P3.8 billion worth of crystal meth or shabu from Thailand and made to appear as tea bags was intercepted at the Port of Subic, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced on Thursday.
The BOC said the shipment arrived last September 18, on board the SITC SHEKOU.
After submitting the shipment to x-ray scanning and examination, BOC and other law enforcers discovered suspected shabu inside 59 brown boxes containing 530 red and golden tea bags.
The BOC likewise found out that each of the boxes contained a box of chicharon or pork cracklings, dried fish, cases of soft drinks, and sacks of feeds to conceal the illegal drugs.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Director Verne Enciso said the discovery led to the BOC immediately issuing a Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the shipment for possible violation of Sections 118 (g), 119 (d), and 1113 par. (f), (I), and (l)-(3) and (4) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
“An operation like this demands a coordinated response between and among agencies. We need to make sure that we won’t only be confiscating these harmful narcotics, but that we will also know who’s leading these activities,” Enciso said.
After the discovery, BOC said they tapped the help of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) to do a controlled delivery operation and identify the importers.
Last Sunday, the shipment was delivered to Barangay San Jose Malino in Mexico, Pampanga.
“We continue to enhance our information-sharing and enforcement initiatives among government agencies to stay ahead of drug syndicates and ensure that these illegal importations are intercepted even before they reach our local markets,” Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio said in a statement.
“Narcotic interdiction remains to be at the core of our work here at the BOC. This operation demonstrates the commitment and dedication of our people to fulfill their mandates and remove this menace from our streets,” Deputy Commissioner for Customs Intelligence Group Juvymax Uy added.