DESPITE the assertion of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency that P6.8 billion worth of shabu had slipped past Customs last month, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Sunday said that claim could only be validated with physical evidence.
In a dzBB radio interview anchored by Rowena Salvacion, Barbers said it would be difficult to prove that the four empty magnetic lifters found in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite could have actually contained P6.8 billion worth of shabu.
“We still stand by the principle of corpus delicti, or the body of crime. It is hard to tell if the four lifters contained the drugs. Even if there is a circumstantial evidence indicating there is, it will still be difficult to tell in the absence of the body of crime,” he said.
“That is why we are giving the PDEA a chance to conduct follow-up operations and recover [the drugs]. And if there is [such entry of drugs], we will have to investigate why it slipped past the bureau,” he added.
He, however, said drug syndicates could also be sowing intrigues to divide the PDEA and BoC.
PDEA director general Aaron Aquino stood by their assessment that the four empty magnetic lifters seized in Cavite, on Aug. 9, contained the P68-billion shabu that made its way to the streets.
But Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña questioned the findings of the PDEA, and said the four magnetic cylinders found in Cavite did not contain shabu.