DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 6 October) – A man was arrested at the Task Force Davao border checkpoint in Barangay Sirawan, Toril District, for allegedly carrying several sachets of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride tucked around his waist, with an estimated value of P3,757,000.

Capt. Hazel Caballero Tuazon, Davao City Police Office spokesperson, on Monday said the 31-year-old suspect attempted to sneak shabu into the city but was arrested by TF Davao personnel past 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Tuazon said that when the suspect was about to place his bag on the baggage X-ray machine, a sachet containing a white crystalline substance fell to the floor from his waist. 

Passengers of public buses entering the city undergo routine inspections at designated border checkpoints, as part of the city’s intensified security measures.

Upon approaching him, the checkpoint personnel observed that the suspect appeared uneasy and anxious, and told him to lift his sweater.

Tuazon said they immediately arrested the suspect after discovering multiple sachets containing a white crystalline substance, believed to be shabu, concealed around his waist.

Recovered from his possession were 12 heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing alleged shabu.

Tuazon said the arrested person is now under police custody and will face criminal charges for violation of Section 11, Article II of the Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The suspected shabu was turned over to the Regional Forensic Unit-Davao for laboratory examination, she said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)