Court resets arraignment of Customs fixer, importer in P6.4B shabu shipment

National Bureau of Investigation personnel display hundreds of plastic bags containing kilos of shabu, which form part of a P6.4-billion shipment seized from a warehouse in Valenzuela City, on May 27, 2017, based on a tip from Chinese authorities. (Philippine Daily Inquirer file photo/MARIANNE BERMUDEZ )

The Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 46 has deferred the arraignment of Customs fixer Mark Ruben Taguba II and trader Eirene May Tatad over the controversial P6.4 billion shabu shipment from China.

During a court hearing on Friday, Manila RTC Branch 46 Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa reset the arraignment of the accused to February 23, pending a petition for review of their criminal charges at the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In addition, the court ordered the prosecution to file a comment after Tatad submitted a motion to quash the criminal charges filed against her.

Taguba and Tatad are facing charges for drug importation in violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002

Tatad is the owner of EMT Trading and consignee of the drug shipment. It was Taguba who tapped EMT Trading to act as an importer or consignee of the shipment initially declared to contain kitchenware, but was later discovered to be shabu following an inspection by authorities.

Tatad, in a press conference at the NBI headquarters on February 2, maintained her innocence in the charges hurled against her.

“Ang masasabi ko lang po sa lahat ng nangyari, inosente po ako,” she insisted.

READ: Arrested consignee in P6.4-B shabu shipment claims innocence

As of this posting, Tatad and Taguba are detained at the NBI headquarters in Manila.

The judge has ordered Tatad’s transfer to the Manila City Jail, while Taguba would stay at the NBI, pending the resolution of his urgent motion for continued detention at the bureau.         /kga