The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has intercepted methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu, hidden in two separate packages from the US with an estimated street value of P600,000.
The packages were misdeclared as “gift puzzle game board” and “puzzle game made of cardboard as a gift” bound for Albay in Bicol and Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, BOC said in a statement.
Physical examination, however, showed the sachets containing crystalline substances concealed inside the puzzle game boards. Subsequent field tests conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) confirmed the seized substances as shabu.
In addition, two other misdeclared bottles of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK), a controlled chemical identified by PDEA as essential ingredients in the production of shabu, were similarly seized for lack of import permit. The controlled precursors were illegally imported into the country from Taiwan.
BOC NAIA on July 7 turned over the seized illegal drugs and controlled precursors to PDEA for case profiling, further investigation and possible filing of criminal cases against the importers of record and their cohorts for violation of Republic Act (RA) No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, in relation to RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
