‘Abandoned’ baggage yields P19M shabu
THE X-Ray Inspection Project (XIP) of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) uncovered another shipment of illegal drugs from Africa after its owner, who was not allowed to enter the country last year, left it behind.
Atty. Lourdes Mangaoang, XIP head, in his initial report to BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, said she immediately ordered the assigned XIP officer at the NAIA Terminal 1 to closely examine the black trolley backpack that has been languishing at the Interline Baggage Release (IBR) since December 2022.
The Office of the Deputy Collector for Passenger Services that Mangaoang, also previously headed, turned over the baggage to the XIP for inspection on May 17, 2023.
After the XIP officer reported seeing “suspicious images,” Mangaoang called for a customs examiner to conduct a “100%” inspection of the baggage in the presence of the other members of the Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force (CAIDTF)/NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG).
The examination confirmed the presence of a shabu weighing 2.846 kilos concealed in the back lining of the backpack valued at P19.352 million.
Investigation disclosed that the baggage was brought in by one “Sara Tabitya” from Uganda, who arrived in the country last December 24, 2022, via a Philippine Airlines flight, ahead of the baggage’s arrival on December 26, 2022 onboard flight ET644 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
However, the suspect was unable to claim her baggage after she was excluded from entering the country, Mangaoang said.
In related news, a suspect was arrested by the CAIDTF last May 11, 2023 in Mandaluyong City after taking the delivery of 1.808 kilos of shabu worth P12.475 million that arrived earlier at the Port of Clark.
The shipment, which arrived a day before, came from California, USA declared as “dolls” and “car toys.”
However, the presence of illegal drugs was immediately noticed by the alert XIP officers assigned at the Port of Clark, which was confirmed during actual examination.
The CAIDTF immediately arranged for a “controlled delivery operation” the next day that resulted in the arrest of the 42-year-old suspect, whose name was withheld by the BOC.
