A MALAYSIA-bound shipment of 19.8 kilograms of “shabu” with an estimated value of P180 million was intercepted while two suspected drug couriers were arrested in Zamboanga City, the police reported Friday.
Aviation Security Group (AVSEGroup) commander Superintendent Villaflor Bannawagan said the shabu shipment was intercepted around 7 a.m. Friday at the check-in area of the Zamboanga International Airport (ZIA).
Bannawagan identified the arrested suspected drug couriers as Mohd Daud Arabani and Salim Sabtari, both of Bongao town in the province of Tawi-Tawi.
Bannawagan said the shabu shipment was uncovered after the Office of Transport Security (OTS) personnel in coordination with AVSEGroup policemen subjected a carton box the suspects were bringing to a manual inspection as its contents is covered with black spot when it passed the x-ray scan machine.
The OTS personnel are under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) that handle the operations of the x-ray scan machine in all airports in the country.
Bannawagan said the contents of the box were 20 packs of powdered milk mixed with packs of foodstuffs when the luggage was opened for manual inspection.
However, he said the content of aluminum foil packs in each of the powdered milk boxes turned out to be high-grade shabu instead of powdered milk.
He said that each of the aluminum foil packs was wrapped with carbon paper the reason why the box’s contents was covered with big black spot when it passed through the x-ray scan machine.
He said the suspects disclosed during the initial investigation that they were paid to bring the cargo to Tawi-Tawi by a certain “Aping” of Ermita, Manila.
The suspects further revealed that the cargo, upon arrival in Tawi-Tawi, was to be shipped to Lahad Datu and Samporna in Sabah, Malaysia, he said.
The suspects also revealed that they have arrived in this city Thursday from the Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) aboard a commercial plane, he said.
A case for violation of Republic Act 9165 otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against the two arrested couriers, according Bannawagan.