RAMIL Madriaga has linked lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, to the controversial 2018 shipment of magnetic lifters found to contain billions worth of illegal drugs.
In a his supplemental affidavit submitted to the House Committee on Justice on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, during the resumption of the impeachment hearings against Duterte, Madriaga, who claimed to be her former aid and “bagman,” alleged that he was instructed by former President Rodrigo Duterte sometime in 2017 or 2018 to assist Carpio, regarding an unspecified issue involving the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
Madriaga said Carpio later contacted him and arranged a meeting in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, where he was allegedly asked to help facilitate the release of what was initially described as “construction equipment.”
He said he went to the Bureau of Customs days later to coordinate with a lawyer regarding the shipment. It was during this meeting, he said, that he learned the supposed equipment was actually magnetic lifters that had been flagged by authorities.
“This time, I learned that the construction equipment was actually magnetic lifters and the same were confiscated because it contained a large amount of shabu. However, the female lawyer informed me that it was difficult to release the same because it was a ‘hot item’,” he said.
“I reported this to Atty. Mans and we met again in the same spot in BC, Taguig City. This was the last time we met regarding this issue. Later, I learned that the contents of the magnetic lifters, at least 500 kilograms of shabu worth 4.3 billion pesos, were mysteriously missing,” he added.
In August 2018, authorities discovered two abandoned magnetic lifters at the Manila port containing 355 kilos of shabu worth P2.4 billion.
Three days later, four empty magnetic lifters were also found abandoned in a warehouse in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said the four empty magnetic lifters possibly contained 1.6 tons of shabu worth P11 billion.
The case triggered multiple investigations after it was revealed that some shipments had already been released from customs before being inspected.
The incident raised serious concerns over corruption and lapses within the Bureau of Customs, prompting Senate inquiries and internal probes into how such a large volume of illegal drugs entered the country undetected.
At the time, several customs officials were relieved from their posts, while lawmakers called for sweeping reforms in port security and anti-smuggling operations. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)