Aquino vows to attend congress inquiries into ‘shabu’ smuggling

He may be on leave, but Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino said he would attend congressional inquiries into the shipment of P6.8 billion worth of “shabu” (crystal meth) that his office said had slipped past the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

President Duterte had dismissed PDEA’s smuggling claim as “pure speculation.”

In a text message to the Inquirer, Aquino confirmed that he would be attending the scheduled hearing in the House of Representatives on Aug. 29 and in the Senate on Aug. 30.

He said he would return to the country on Aug. 29.

Aquino announced his previously scheduled leave two days after a committee hearing in Congress, where the BOC disputed his assessment that four empty magnetic lifters found by PDEA agents in Cavite on Aug. 8 might have contained about a ton of shabu.

Similar magnetic lifters

PDEA agents on Aug. 7 also intercepted P4.3 billion worth of shabu in two similar magnetic lifters at the Manila port.

Aquino earlier accused certain customs personnel of colluding with drug smugglers following the discovery of the empty magnetic lifters in Cavite.

The BOC denied his allegations. —JAYMEE T. GAMIL