AT least ₱278 million worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu were seized at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) during a joint operation by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
As early as December 2025, the BOC received intelligence from PDEA regarding a shipment from Afghanistan suspected to contain dangerous drugs. The shipment, declared as “marble,” arrived at MICP on December 31, 2025 and no goods declaration was filed within the prescribed 15-day reglementary period, resulting in the shipment being declared abandoned in accordance with customs rules.
The container was subjected to non-intrusive inspection, K9 sniffing and physical examination as part of standard joint enforcement procedures and an x-ray scanning conducted on January 8, 2026 revealed suspicious images in the top rail portion of the container. This was subsequently corroborated during the K9 operation, when a narcotics detection dog manifested a positive indication for the presence of dangerous drugs, further validating the PDEA intelligence and risk assessment.
Examination resulted in the recovery of shabu concealed within the container’s walls and flooring. Recovered were dangerous drugs with an approximate total weight of about 41 kilograms and estimated to be worth ₱278 million.
“Nagkaroon nito, first time na tinatago doon sa false sidings, supposed to be ‘yung flooring pati doon sa likod. Ibig sabihin nasa loob ng mga bakal na containers yung mga shabu na 131 packages at ito ay magkakaroon ng P278 million worth street value nitong shabu na ito,” BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said in a press briefing.
He added: “Ngayon lang namin naranasan yung ganitong klaseng pagpapasok ng illegal drugs, ng shabu, na nakatago sa mismong boxes ng mga iniimport nila. Ang deklarasyon nito ay marble galing Afghanistan. Subalit, may marble nga, nakatago naman sa mga bakal yung mga shabu.”
