P120-M worth of ‘shabu’ seized from South African at Mactan airport

Photo from Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Cebu

MANILA, Philippines — Authorities seized some P120 million worth of suspected crystal meth or “shabu” from a South African traveler at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Thursday.

The suspect, identified as Pietro Aliquo, was arrested on Wednesday night after government personnel found the suspected drugs concealed inside his three briefcases. Aliquo flew into Cebu from Doha, Qatar.

Customs officers spotted the suspicious baggage through their x-ray, prompting them to ask for the assistance of the PDEA airport interdiction unit.

“A thorough check of the three items led to the discovery of a total of ten (10) packs of suspected shabu,” the PDEA said in a statement.

The suspected drugs weighing 17.6 kilos have a street value of P120,353,200.

PDEA conducted initial tests on the seized substances, which yielded a positive result for dangerous drugs. The pieces of drug evidence have been submitted to the PDEA  laboratory in Central Visayas for further chemical analysis.

The suspect will be facing a criminal case for violations of Section 4 (importation of dangerous drugs) of the Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Mae Anne Bilolo, trainee

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