Pdea tracking more shipments containing illegal drugs

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is tracking five more shipments that are also containing illegal contrabands, PDEA Director Aaron Aquino said Wednesday, August 8.

Aquino said they received an information that six shipments were consigned to the Vecaba Trading International, the consignee of the shipment that was found to be containing 500 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu).

“Meron kaming information na hindi lang iisa itong container. Parang anim yata ito. Hopefully, makuha natin lahat (We received an information that there were six containers. Hopefully, we get all of them),” he said.

“May duda nga kami nakalabas na. Kaya magba-backtrack tayo para malaman natin,” he added.

On Tuesday evening, August 7, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) together with the PDEA opened an abandoned container van shipped from Malaysia for the Vecaba Trading International, which is not accredited to the BOC.

The BOC said Vecaba Trading International is owned by a certain Vedasio Cabral Baraquel residing in Sampaloc, Manila.

The illegal drugs with an estimated value of P4.3 billion were concealed inside two magnetic lifters, made from thick metals that made it hard for the K9 dogs to identify the illegal drugs during the initial inspection.

Aquino said Baraquel has been subject of investigation of the PDEA in the past seven years due to their alleged illegal drugs transaction, particularly in importing.

The BOC said the shipment arrived on June 28 but has not been claimed a month after, which led to the issuance of notice of abandonment that permitted the agency to open it.