Airport authorities have heightened their vigilance in the campaign against trafficking in illegal drugs in a bid to discourage international drug syndicates from using the Philippines as a transshipment point for those.
In Clark, a drug syndicate used a shipment of air fryer to transport P6.8 million worth of shabu from Sha Alam, Malaysia. But alert Customs agents and examiners intercepted the shipment.
Based on the import manifest, the shipment arrived on Feb. 16 and was declared as air fryer and silkware.
The authorities examined the shipment and discovered two pieces of frying pans and one air fryer where the 1,000 grams of shabu were concealed.
“To verify the x-ray image which showed organic substances inside the lid of the air fryer, the Customs Examiner opened the same where he found two black plastic packs containing crystalline substances suspected to be shabu,” said District Collector Ruby Alameda.
Alameda said the shipment was also subjected to K-9 dog sniffing and samples were taken for laboratory testing and chemical analysis, which “confirmed positive results for the presence of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride.”
Alameda immediately issued a warrant of seizure and detention on the shipment.
Airport authorities are implementing stricter measures against smuggled drugs, saying international drug syndicates were using the Philippines as a dumping ground for their illegal substances.
At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, more than P2 billion worth of drugs were seized by the Customs bureau in 2020.
Records showed that the Port of NAIA seized a total of 44 shipments of shabu, ecstasy, marijuana, and other prohibited substances.