PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino looks for drug residue inside a magnetic lifter, one of four that was discovered inside a warehouse in Brgy. F. Reyes, GMA, Cavite. /Inquirer photo
About one ton of shabu with an estimated value of P6.8 billion might already be making its way to the streets after operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) found in General Mariano Alvarez (GMA), Cavite, four empty magnetic lifters that previously contained the illegal drugs.
In a press briefing on Friday, PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said the magnetic lifters found at a warehouse in GMA, Cavite, on August 9, Thursday, are similar to the one seized at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) on Tuesday.
“Last August 7, during a press conference at MICT after PDEA, PNP, and Bureau of Customs intercepted a container with more or less 500 kilos of shabu, I mentioned that I have a gut feeling that four or five similar containers have slipped into our streets,” Aquino said.
“True enough […] we were able to locate four magnetic lifters located in Unit 4, Lot 1-18, CRS Subdivision, Barangay F. Reyes, GMA, Cavite,” he added.
Elements from PDEA-National Capital Region confirmed that the magnetic lifters once had shabu in it, as drug-sniffing dogs detected traces of it.
Aquino added that based on information, the magnetic lifters came from Taiwan.
“Initial information reveals that these illegal drugs came from Taiwan, Republic of China, and the syndicates only used Malaysia as a trans-shipping point,” Aquino said.
“PDEA and PNP are continuously conducting drug traffic investigation to determine other personalities involved in this operation,” he said, adding that the investigation is centered on 19 persons of interest, including Filipinos, Chinese and Malaysian nationals.