Senate turns over Customs intel officer Guban to DOJ

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee turned over yesterday to the Department of Justice (DOJ) a key witness to the series of multibillion-peso illegal drugs smuggling cases at Manila’s waterfront.

The turnover of Jimmy Guban, of the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC’s) Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), was made by Senator Richard J. Gordon, committee chairman, following a public hearing held at the Senate yesterday.

The transfer of Guban from the Senate’s protective custody was based on an agreement forged by Gordon with DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra.

This arrangement had the go-signal from Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III.

Guban, earlier placed under Senate protection because of threats against him and members of his family, will be placed under the DOJ’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).

Gordon told Senate reporters that he also talked to Guevarra that he would be formally recommending to him that another key witness to the high-profile drug smuggling cases should be placed under DOJ’s WPP.

In a narration of his affidavit yesterday, Guban portrayed the various stages of cooperation and movements of the smuggling operators from the time the drugs arrived from abroad to their being taken to an enclosed warehouse in Cavite where the drugs were taken by Chinese conspirators.

The other witness is lawyer Ma. Lourdes V. Mangaoang, BOC Deputy Collector for Passenger Service, who had denounced the BOC was at its worst under then Commissioner Isidro Lapeña.

She also testified that the current X-Ray equipment at the BOC’s Manila International Container Port (MICP) could see the contents of things encased in an 11-inch thick metal container.

The magnetic lifter that was transferred from the MICP to a warehouse in Cavite is only four inches thick.

Earlier estimates placed the value of the presumed shabu (crystal meth) in the magnetic lifters at about R6 billion but the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) revised it to R11 billion.

Gordon was aghast at the cover up of the smooth operation of government officials and personnel allegedly involved in the drug smuggling operations.

After the mysterious disappearance of the R11 billion shabu shipment, another shipment that contained more than R4 billion was seized by the BOC.

After the R11 billion worth of “shabu” was spirited out from the Cavite warehouse, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) officer, Eduardo P. Acierto, had reportedly told Guban that another drug shipment is due to arrive in Manila.

Gordon said Guban was referring to the more than R4 billion worth of “shabu” in a container van that had not been touched or seized by the BOC for more than 15 days.

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee resumes its hearing on November 22 after which he would file a bill that banks should inform government authorities that deposits in their safes are linked to drug smuggling.

He said he would be informing PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde that he would be turning Guban over to the DOJ.

“Acierto is a cornered man. We are covering more ground,” Gordon said, adding that Acierto must come to the Senate to explain his side.

After stating that drug smuggling is a nasty business, Gordon said “you have to cleanse everybody.”

These include the anti-illegal drug units of the PDEA, PNP and the BOC.

“We have a lot cleaning to do. Nakakatakot na. It is contaminated,” he stressed.

He again reiterated his view that the Philippines is under siege by powerful, influential drug syndicates.