MANILA - A Bureau of Customs (BOC) official on Tuesday said the agency's x-rays would not have been able to detect shabu inside the magnetic lifters if it was wrapped in aluminum foil and plastic, or other materials that could conceal the illegal substance.

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Atty. Zsae Carrie de Guzman, head of the BOC's X-ray Inspection Project, said that when they found out about the recovered magnetic lifters in Cavite that PDEA claimed could have contained an estimated P6.8 billion of shabu, they immediately retrieved the images from the x-ray machines.

“From our own findings, from analyzing the findings, wala kaming nakita,” de Guzman told the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs.

“Not that walang laman. Wala kaming nakita,” she clarified.

“You cannot categorically say may laman o wala,” ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio asked.

De Guzman said “yes.”

She explained that the BOC consulted an x-ray technical expert and initially wanted to do a run-through to find out if BOC’s x-rays can detect contraband concealed in the magnetic lifters if these were wrapped in foil and plastic.

She said they were told the BOC’s x-rays did not have that capability.

But De Guzman stressed there was a lack of information about the alleged shabu that was supposedly inside the magnetic lifters recovered in Cavite.

“We didn’t know how it was packed. It could be they could have wrapped it in lead. There’s a bounce-back effect, we couldn’t see what’s inside,” she said.

PDEA vs. BOC

PDEA officials said on Tuesday’s hearing that there were many similarities between the 4 empty magnetic filters found in Cavite and the 2 intercepted magnetic filters abandoned in the Port of Manila which was found to have contained 355 kilos of shabu, leading them to conclude that shabu could have slipped through BOC.

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Aside from similarities in the appearance of the magnetic lifters, both sets had holes where shabu was believed to have been inserted.

Both sets also had asbestos fillings and aluminum foil, used to deflect x-ray.

PDEA’s shabu-sniffing dogs also sat near the magnetic lifters, an indication of the presence of shabu.

PDEA secured a bill of lading from Taiwan’s Manila Economic and Cultural Office showing that the consignee of the intercepted magnetic lifters in the Port of Manila bore the same address in GMA, Cavite where the empty magnetic lifters were found.

The BOC, however, said there was no bill of lading for the intercepted magnetic lifters, which only had a manifest showing the shipment supposedly contained door frames.

Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena also said the PDEA’s own swab test yielded a negative result, raising doubts on PDEA’s claim.

“If there was shabu that passed through Customs, that’s not yet certain your honor,” he told Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento. “Magnetic lifters in Cavite were empty. We cannot assume that such quantity of shabu has passed through Customs.”

Unconvinced

Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop is not convinced that there was shabu in the empty magnetic lifters found in Cavite.

He faulted PDEA for not sharing and verifying intelligence information with other agencies. Lapena said he only learned about the supposed illegal shipment in August long after the shipment had been released from Customs.

“That was a crucial mistake. Information should be timely. Hindi timely information ninyo,” he said.

Acop earlier chided PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino’s absence in the hearing and even moved to have the House issue a strongly-worded letter to Aquino requiring his presence in the next hearing.

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He blamed Aquino for making the allegations in the media about the volume of shabu that supposedly slipped through the BOC.

Sultan Kudarat Rep. Horacio Suansing. Jr. meanwhile urged PDEA officials to recant Aquino’s earlier statement to the media.

Legitimate importation

De Guzman stood by the process that the BOC used to check the shipment, saying the declaration matched the image of scrap lifters generated in the x-ray. The declared weight was also acceptable.

“With all those things, we wouldn’t have raised a red flag to have it physically inspected. We do x-ray, pag may doubt kami, nagre-request kami ng physical examination. With this particular consignee, walang nagraise ng red flag,” she said.

BOC Spokesperson Atty. Erastus Sandino Austria said the weight of the shipment would not have mattered because the acceptable weight of magnetic lifters range from 1 ton to 4 tons, thus, an additional 200 kilos of alleged shabu would not have made a substantial difference.

New x-ray machines

De Guzman said the BOC has bidded out P1.3 billion worth of modern, top-of-the-line x-ray equipment which could identify organic and inorganic materials, and conduct a three-dimensional scan on shipments.

She revealed that they have put on hold a new shipment containing magnetic lifters which passed through the BOC’s x-rays on Tuesday.

No feud between BOC, PDEA

During the hearing, House Committee on Dangerous Drugs Rep. Ace Barbers clarified news reports that there’s an ongoing feud between the BOC and PDEA.

Both Lapena and PDEA Deputy Director for Operations Ruel Lasala said “walang tampuhan” between the two agencies.

Barbers said a feud or misunderstanding between the two agencies would seriously undermine the government’s war on drugs.

Magdalo Partylist Rep. Gary Alejano meanwhile said it’s unacceptable that the thousands who have been killed in the drug war were found to possess only 1-5 sachets of shabu while those who import tons of shabu are able to bring into the country the illegal substance without fear of being caught.

The House Committee on Dangerous Drugs will first await the results of the investigations of both agencies before deciding if another hearing is necessary.