‘Shabu’ now imported, says Bato

The country’s top cop has expressed concern over imported methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” being sold in the streets, and urged a more thorough inspection of cargoes at the ports.

Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said that while local manufacture of shabu had become limited due to the dismantling of several laboratories around the country, most of the supply were  coming from foreign shipments.

After Tuesday night’s seizure of shabu worth P360 million from a warehouse in Las Piñas City, Dela Rosa said shabu laboratories were dwindling, noting that the PNP hardly received information about their presence in the country.

“If there are still shabu laboratories we have not discovered, maybe the number is very limited now,” he told reporters.

The PNP chief added, “If you’re wondering how come shabu is still proliferating on the streets, it is being shipped from other countries.”

Dele Rosa said that the Bureau of Customs (BOC) should strictly enforce inspections of cargoes and packages, particularly those containing machinery, entering through the ports.

Dela Rosa said that the 72 kilograms of shabu seized during Tuesday night’s police raid on Unit B, Lot 5, Block 3, Tiongquiao Street, BF Martinville Subdivision, Barangay Manuyo, in Las Piñas City were concealed in a shipment of machinery.

He said the shipment came in as assorted machinery, but the illegal drugs were concealed in the parts, particularly the casings.

A team from the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Southern Police District, and the Las Piñas City police station served a search warrant at the warehouse that yielded the shabu. Nobody was arrested in the operation.

“The BOC should screen and inspect the shipments strictly because once those containing narcotics are smuggled in and distributed, it would be difficult for the police to pursue. But if it is stopped in a one-time, big-time interception at the port, then it would no longer be distributed,” he said.

Dela Rosa agreed that the PNP should keep a strong presence at the ports of entry to coordinate antidrug efforts with other agencies, including the BOC.