Narcs to destroy seized chemical turned over by Customs

By Jigger J. Jerusalem,
Correspondent .

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-10 (PDEA) is set to destroy 320 plastic drums of hyrdochloric acid used as one of the ingredients in making “shabu” or crystal meth after these were turned over by the Bureau of Customs-10 (BOC) on Tuesday.

The turn-over took place at the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) facility in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental and was witnessed by officials from both government agencies.

Before disposing of the items, Emerson Rosales, PDEA-10 regional director, said they still have to secure an order of destruction from the court first.

In the meantime, the chemical will be stored at the MCT until PDEA-10 obtains the court order.

The chemical was seized by BOC-10 in 2017 after the consignee, Juchem Enterprises, allegedly failed to present the needed government-issued permits.

Also in that same year, the BOC national office removed Juchem Enterprises from its list of accredited importer following the seizure of the chemical.

John Simon, BOC-10 district collector, said the substance arrived at the MCT sub-port on Jan. 31, 2017.

The Customs confiscated the imported chemical on Feb. 17, 2017 and was forfeited in favor of the government on Sept. 7 of that same year since the shipment has no necessary permit from the Dept, of Environment and Natural Resources, Food and Drug Administration, and PDEA-10.

BOC-10 placed the estimated worth of the acid at P20 million.

Reports said the case filed against the consignee was dismissed by the court due to technicalities, but the confiscated goods were forfeited in favor of the government.

During the turn-over ceremony, BOC-10 formally handed over the chemical to the jurisdiction of PDEA-10, although in the meantime the seized items would be stored at the MCT pending its disposal.

“What we do is to ensure that this chemical is not diverted to drug laboratories that manufacture shabu,” Rosales said.

He said PDEA-10 has to request from the court an order of destruction before it can properly dispose of the chemical.

Rosales said they have yet to determine how many kilograms of shabu can be produced using the 320 drums of hydrochloric acid.

For his part, Simon said they will go after individuals and entities who attempt to import illegal items as soon as these arrive at the ports in Northern Mindanao.

“Anything that does not contribute to the well-being of our community, we will destroy. These drums of chemicals, which can be used to produce illegal drugs, must be destroyed,” he said.