Barbers urges authorities to be proactive vs ‘drug parcels’
SURIGAO del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers on Thursday urged anti-drug law enforcers and the public to be wary and vigilant on all parcels coming from abroad that contain self-sealing foil pouches of snacks and other similar products following the arrest of an alleged drug importer and the seizure of P89.590 million worth of shabu on Wednesday.
Barbers, the chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said drug syndicates clearly continue to innovate their methods of bringing illegal drugs into the country, and anti-drug law enforcers should always take one step ahead in countering drug syndicate “methodology.”
“Ang mga sindikato ng droga ay patuloy na nag-iisip at gumagawa ng iba’t-ibang pamamaraan upang maipasok nila sa ating bansa ang mga bawal na droga. Dapat din, sa ating mga anti-drug law enforcers, na parati silang advance mag-isip laban sa mga nagpapapasok ng droga upang ‘di sila mapalusutan,” he said.
On Wednesday, agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG) conducted a “controlled delivery” operation after learning that a shipment of shabu which was concealed in foil snack pouches and was to be redeemed by a local cohort of the drug syndicate.
A controlled delivery, according to the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), is an investigative technique that allows the delivery of an unlawful or suspect consignment of any illegal drug to be used as a basis for the arrest.
The female suspect was collared after she received a package of 44 self-sealing snack pouches containing 13,175 grams of shabu worth P89.590 million worth of shabu.
The parcel was declared as “Grandma’s Chinchin” snack packs and shipped to the suspect by a certain “Micheal Olanrewaju” from Nigeria.
Barbers said the shipment into the country of illegal drugs via parcels is “not something new” as the syndicate continually innovates its methods on where to hide or conceal its shipment.
“Dati rati, ang shipment ng droga ay itinatago sa mga produktong de lata, mga prutas, gulong ng sasakyan, furnitures, equipment, at iba pa. Ngayon ay medyo iba na at sa mga food snacks na nila inilalagay,” Barbers said.
“Kaya sa palagay ko, tuwing may mga parating sa ating bansa tulad ng food snacks, dapat ay maging vigilant ang ating mga anti-drug law enforcers sa mga ito. At dapat advance din sila mag-isip kung saan pang mga produkto pwede itago ang shabu sa mga darating na panahon,” he added.
