The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas now knows who shipped the parcel containing P8 million worth of shabu to Cebu.
Mauro Lecin, legal counsel of the regional PDEA office, said based on the documents provided by the courier company, the shipper was identified as Sheilla Mae Baltazar, who sent the package through the courier’s branch office in a mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.
Lecin said the PDEA is still further investigating the case as the shipper may have used a fictitious name.
Maricris Paul and her daughter Marcris who were arrested after they showed up at the courier company to claim the package refused to divulge the identity of the person who sent them over to claim the contraband.
Because of their refusal to identify the shipper, the mother and daughter are considered as the owners of the package.
The parcel contained slippers which were stuffed with the illegal drugs.
A similar shipment was also intercepted by authorities in Bacolod.
Because of the incident, Lecin said the PDEA-7 would meet with courier companies to alert them on this kind of operation.
Lawyer Paul Clarence Oaminal, former undersecretary of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), said the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) should find ways to regulate shipments coursed through private couriers.
Oaminal said the courier company should exercise “diligence” before accepting packages.