Customs: P6.7 billion drug bust made possible by close coordination, no info leak

MANILA, Philippines — Officials of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) stressed that the recent P6.7 billion drug bust, said to be the biggest haul by authorities, was made possible by close coordination between government agencies and the absence of information leaks.

Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz, in a statement on Monday, said that a huge credit goes to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as they provided the information that led to the discovery of the 990 kilograms of shabu in Tondo, Manila last Saturday.

READ: PNP seizes P6.7 billion worth of shabu; Abalos says it’s ‘biggest drug haul to date’

He said the operation’s success was proof that the involved agencies could keep such plans within themselves to ensure that suspects and the contraband items would not elude authorities.

“We want to thank PDEG for leading the operation. It would not be possible without the help of many other agencies, including the BOC and PDEA, but PDEG deserves the credit for acting upon the information they got, investigating the area and the suspect, and coordinating with all of us for the success of this operation,” Ruiz said.

“Sometimes, in as big as an operation as this, it takes a lot to keep it under wraps and ensure no one would get wind of the plan. This is why coordination among different government agencies must be top-notch. We need to ensure we can trust and work with one another,” he added.

Ruiz said BOC’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) was part of the operation along Jose Abad Santos Street in Manila’s Barangay 252.

PDEG Director Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo said that a certain Ney Saligumba Atadero was arrested during the buy-bust operation. Hot pursuit operations followed early Sunday, leading to the arrest of an accomplice — a PDEG police officer, Mst. Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr.

Ruiz said the operation is another testament to the dedication of the current administration and other government agencies like the BOC to fight the illegal drug trade in the country.

BOC-CIIS Director Jeoffrey Tacio assured the public that they would continue cooperating with PDEG and PDEA to ensure the country sustains its campaign against illegal drugs.

“Drugs have long been our society’s biggest problem. The BOC is one with the current administration and our partner agencies in taking the necessary steps to stop this menace,” Tacio said.

In September 2021, former Justice secretary Menardo Guevarra said that the BOC was able to seize and intercept P1.9 billion worth of illegal drugs from January 1 to August 23 of that year.

However, the agency also attracted controversy in 2019 after P6.8 billion worth of shabu inside magnetic lifters eluded authorities. Former PDEA director general Aaron Aquino said the magnetic lifters found at a warehouse in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite matched the one seized prior at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT).

PDEA officials later insisted that the magnetic lifters could have contained P11 billion worth of shabu — prompting the Department of Justice to ask former BOC commissioner Isidro Lapeña why the shabu was smuggled into the country.

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