Authorities apprehended a 31-year-old man carrying over P3.7-million worth of suspected shabu during a routine joint checkpoint operation at the Task Force Davao (TFD) Border Checkpoint in Sirawan, Toril, on Sunday.
The suspect, identified as Jade, a resident of Magsaysay, Carmen, Davao del Norte, was caught after a security screening officer noticed a suspicious item fall from his belongings.
A TFD personnel assigned to the x-ray scanner machine observed the male passenger behaving uneasily as he approached the scanner. As the man was about to place his bag on the conveyor belt, a heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance believed to be shabu fell to the ground.
Sensing suspicious behavior, the TFD personnel immediately alerted a police officer, who was stationed a few meters away. The police officer approached the passenger and likewise saw the sachet on the floor. He noted the man’s visibly anxious demeanor and asked him to raise his sweater, revealing several more plastic sachets concealed around his waist.
Upon inspection, authorities recovered a total of twelve sachets of suspected shabu—one small heat-sealed sachet, initially marked as “RG,” and eleven medium-sized sachets labeled from “RG1” to “RG12.” The combined estimated street value of the confiscated drugs is P3,757,000.00, according to officials.
The suspect was immediately arrested, while recovered items were properly marked and tagged. He was later brought to the concerned police station for booking and further documentation. The suspected shabu was turned over to the Regional Forensic Unit 11 (RFU 11) for laboratory testing, while non-drug evidence remains in the custody of the arresting officer pending proper disposition.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the extent of the suspect’s involvement in the illegal drug trade.
