P4.3-B shabu shipment intercepted by Customs

The Bureau of Customs intercepted a shipment of nearly 500 kilograms of suspected shabu at Port of Manila on Tuesday after receiving information from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police, according to a report on 24 Oras on Tuesday.

In an update reported on Unang Balita on Wednesday, GMA News' Susan Enriquez reported that the shipment is worth nearly P4.3 billion per PDEA's estimate.

The shipment arrived on June 28 in a container van from Malaysia. It was consigned to Vecaba Trading International, which is not accredited by the BOC.

According to documents, the shipment was declared as door frames for construction, but was left unclaimed after 30 days.

It was declared abandoned. When opened, the cargo revealed a couple of magnetic lifters inside.

Bureau of Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña turns over to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino nearly 500 kilos of shabu found inside two customized cylindrical steel cases at the Manila International Container Port on Tuesday, August 7, 2018. The shipment arrived on June 28 in a container van from Malaysia. Danny Pata

Bomb-sniffing dogs had a hard time identifying the contents of the magnetic lifters, forcing inspectors to drill a hole in one of the lifters, revealing the shabu shipment.

According to PDEA, Malaysia could have been used as a transshipment point, with another country as the original source.

The consignee was a certain Vedasto Cabral Araquel from Sampaloc, Manila.

BOC Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said the shipment was "not meant to go through the clearing process because the consignee is not even accredited by the Bureau of Customs."

"Ang tingin ko ito, ipapalusot lang," he said.

PDEA Director Aaron Aquino said it will conduct a follow-up investigation on the shipment. —JST/BAP/KG, GMA News