Customs agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport seized more than P1.6 million worth of shabu at a warehouse in Pasay City.
The 240 grams of shabu were discovered inside a package of tea products from Malaysia misdeclared as “assorted foodstuff.”
The shipment came from a certain “Yong Lee Chei” and consigned to a Caloocan City resident.
The Bureau of Customs said the importer used the same modus in transporting the shipment like the one seized in October last year worth P1.6 billion, which also came from Malaysia.
The operation was conducted in close coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group.
Airport authorities have heightened vigilance in the campaign against illegal drug trafficking in a bid to discourage international drug syndicates from using the Philippines as a transshipment point for illegal substances.
The Customs bureau also recently launched an anti-narcotics coordinating center to further strengthen its campaign against smuggling of illegal drugs at the country’s premier airport.
The coordination center, according to Customs – NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan, was made in partnership with People’s Air Cargo and Warehousing Inc. (Paircargo) and PDEA.
In 2020, the Port of NAIA seized a total of 44 shipments of shabu, ecstasy, marijuana and other prohibited substances worth P2 billion.
According to PDEA, marijuana, ecstasy and shabu are among the top narcotics being smuggled and distributed in the streets. These prohibited substances, the agency said, are manufactured by Chinese, Taiwanese and Mexican drug syndicates.