3 held for P136-M shabu in Pasig
Around 20 kilos of shabu, with an estimated street value of P136 million, believed to be from the Chinese-run Golden Triangle ring were confiscated from three suspected drug dealers in Pasig City on Wednesday night.
Joel Narido, 39; Maria Teresa Concil, 35, and Ronald Solomon, 41, were apprehended by operatives of the Drug Enforcement Group (DEG) during a sting along Westbank Road in Barangay Maybunga at around 7 p.m.
DEG director Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. said the drugs were stashed in Chinese tea bags labeled as Guan Ying Wang, which is a common strategy of the Golden Triangle when smuggling prohibited narcotics into the country.
“The international drug group could be responsible for the drug shipment based on the packaging,” Caramat said in a text message to The STAR.
The suspects, said to be couriers for the drug ring, have been under surveillance prior to their arrest, according to police.
Caramat said police officers who posed as buyers managed to close a drug deal with the suspects for P1 million.
The suspects are being held by police on drug trafficking charges.
Depressants seized
Meanwhile, personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) have intercepted two parcels that contained 7,999 capsules of depressants weighing 5.376 kilos at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Port of NAIA district collector Mimel Talusan said members of the Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed that the capsules are dextropropoxyphene, an analgesic opioid that is regulated in the country.
Talusan said the drugs arrived from India and consigned to Sandeep Kumar of San Pablo street, Plainview, Mandaluyong.
BOC personnel examined the shipment in line with the directive of Customs Commissioner Leonardo Guerrero to clear the Central Mail Exchange Center of abandoned and overstaying parcels.
The parcels were placed in plastic containers and wrapped with cloth and packing tapes to mislead Customs examiners and X-ray personnel, according to Talusan.
She reminded the public to ensure that all goods they import have the necessary permits.
Talusan said importing regulated drugs must be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.
The drug haul bolstered the BOC’s commitment to curb the smuggling of prohibited narcotics into the country, Talusan added.