Tsinoy gets P40-M shabu by courier service - PDEA

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino-Chinese man was arrested at his house in Quezon City yesterday morning after he received packages addressed to him that turned out to contain eight kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth P40 million.

Marvin Sia, who introduced himself to authorities as a businessman, was placed under arrest following a “controlled delivery” conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

The shabu was delivered from China and had Sia’s name as its receiver here in the Philippines, said PDEA Director General Jose Gutierrez Jr.

The “conventional” price of shabu is P5,000 per gram in Metro Manila, where shabu is deemed to be cheaper. The street value of the contraband could be higher if brought to the provinces, PDEA said.

Gutierrez said the packages delivered to a townhouse rented by Sia’s family at the Enclave along Green Meadows Avenue in Quezon City was misdeclared as “sodium tungstate.”

According to Gutierrez, they received a tip from an informant that a package containing shabu would arrive in the country but declared as a chemical.

A source told The STAR that based on the information received by the PDEA, the chemical in the packages was supposed to be used for “research and development.”

The packages arrived in Clark, Pampanga and were subsequently brought to a courier service in Pasig City, which in turn delivered the packages to Sia’s house.

“This is part of our effort to stop and reduce the smuggling of equipment and chemicals used in drug manufacturing into the country and even the entry of shabu finished products here,” Gutierrez said, citing the joint effort of the agency with the Bureau of Customs.

Gutierrez said that based on the information the agency received, they arranged the “controlled delivery” to see who would receive the contraband.

He explained that law enforcement agencies are allowed to conduct such an operation under Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

When Sia received the package, law enforcers took a sample of the chemical in the package and it turned out to be shabu, Gutierrez said, adding that Sia faces charges under RA 9165.