Drug dealers are getting more creative.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) announced today that they discovered millions of pesos worth of ecstasy and meth (shabu) hidden inside cans of tomato sauce at the Clark International Airport in Angeles City.
The drugs were discovered after a customs officer noticed that one of the tomato cans was leaking. The meth and ecstasy were estimated to be worth PHP112.39 million (US$2.136 million), according to The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
However, instead of confiscating the cans on the spot, the PDEA had them delivered to the alleged recipient, a resident of the village of San Roque in Navotas named Edna Valenzuela.
GMA News quoted PDEA Central Luzon Regional Director Gil Pabilona as saying: “After we intercepted the illegal drugs at the airport, we conducted a controlled delivery so that they will be sent to the consignee.”
However, Valenzuela said that she didn’t know that the cans contained meth. She also said she was just following the instruction of a friend who told her to accept the delivery in exchange for money.
Valenzuela is now under police custody, reported Bombo Radyo. She was also accompanied by her daughter.
The Inquirer reported that the drugs came in four separate shipments. The meth and ecstasy were discovered by the PDEA and the Bureau of Customs on Dec. 28, Jan. 13, and Jan. 14.
They also found kush, a type of marijuana, inside a piece of black-colored luggage at the same airport on Jan. 10.
All of the illegal drugs came from Las Vegas, Nevada.
