By Benjamin Pulta
MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said criminal charges have been filed against five individuals on Thursday in connection with an attempt to bring in more than 404 kg. of shabu worth PHP2.7 billion from Karachi, Pakistan last month.
In a press briefing, NBI Director Jaime Santiago identified the suspects as consignee Oscar Berba of Red Shinting Consumer Goods Trading based in Las Piñas; Karen Villaflor and Rey Gujilde, chairperson and president of freight forwarding company Ark Global Movers, respectively; and customs brokers Kevin Lee Arrio and Richard Aguantar.
“These suspects were arrested based on their role in scheming to facilitate the entry of the illegal drugs in the country using layers of paperwork and ground works to high the contraband among legitimate products,” he said.
Santiago said the shipment was intercepted in a joint operation by the NBI, Bureau of Customs and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Jan. 24 based on information forwarded by a foreign counterpart.
The contraband was concealed in boxes of food products declared as vermicelli and custards.
“The collaboration among these frontline agencies in the fight against illegal drugs involved strategic sharing of resources, expertise and skills, turning vital intelligence information received into actionable results,” the NBI chief said.
Following standard operating procedures, Santiago said the operation was first presented at the inquest before disclosing it to media.
He said the case for violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) was filed against the five suspects before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 31.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC), meanwhile, said the five would also face charges for violating Section 118 (prohibited importation and exportation) and Section 1400 (misdeclaration) in the goods declaration in relation to Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
In a statement, BOC chief Bienvenido Rubo said Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) requested an alert order against the shipment after receiving derogatory information from the NBI.
“Seeing this as our first major drug haul of the year, I would like to commend our officers as well as our partner law enforcement agencies – the NBI, PDEA, and DOJ – for their timely actions that led to this successful operation. Drug traffickers go to great lengths to circumvent our laws, deceive authorities, and harm our communities. But our officers go to even greater lengths to protect our people from the harm and danger brought by illegal drugs,” Rubio added.
On the other hand, Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group Juvymax Uy, the suspected shabu was officially turned over to PDEA for laboratory examination and custody pursuant to the provisions of RA 9165.
“Border security is national security. This remains the top priority of the BOC. But while we are proud of the hard work that comes with an operation like this, we also know that these criminals know no bounds, and they will push us to the limits. We are committed to doing even better in the coming months as we try to crack down on the threats these shipments bring to our communities,” he said. (with Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
