AUTHORITIES arrested two individuals for the importation and possession of 11.04 kilos of suspected shabu worth P75.07 million at the Clark Freeport Zone in Mabalacat, Pampanga, last Saturday afternoon.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency named the suspects by their aliases as Dex, 52, of Cebu, and alias Maca, 54, of Tarlac.
The suspects were nabbed by personnel of the Bureau of Customs and Clark Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Force, which includes PDEA, at around 5:27 p.m. during an interdiction operation at the Federal Express Warehouse.
The operatives seized a parcel, declared as “Industrial Water Chiller,” which was shipped from Mexico.
“Upon inspection, operatives discovered 11.04 kilograms of shabu concealed within the shipment,” PDEA said.
Also seized during the operation were identification documents, a mobile phone, a vehicle, and various shipping papers linked to the attempted drug smuggling.
PDEA Director General Isagani Nerez said the successful operation highlights the government’s commitment to preventing the entry of illegal drugs into the country’s ports.
“This interdiction success underscores our united front against international drug trafficking,” said Nerez.
“We will remain vigilant in safeguarding our ports and borders to protect Filipino communities from the threat of illegal drugs,” added Nerez.
In Cebu City, PDEA operatives arrested a farmer who sold half a kilo of shabu to a poseur buyer on Saturday afternoon.
The suspect, alias Jokjok, 30, is a “regional target-listed individual” in the government’s fight against illegal drugs.
Jokjok was nabbed during a buy-bust operation in Sitio Buanan, Barangay Pung-ol Sibugay in Cebu City, PDEA said.
“Sale of dangerous drugs, regardless of quantity and purity, carries with it a maximum penalty of life imprisonment,” PDEA said in a statement.
Police seized P136,000 worth of suspected dangerous drugs and arrested four persons in a buy-bust operation in Tanay, Rizal, last Saturday.
Police identified the suspects as alias Gary, 56; Nene, 54; Romeo, 53; and Nikko, 38, all residing in Tanay, Rizal.
Seized from them were six sachets containing more or less 20 grams of suspected shabu. – With Christian Oineza
