The Bureau of Customs (BoC) said it intercepted P496.4 million worth of crystal meth, known locally as shabu, concealed inside industrial machinery that arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

The shipment, which originated from Guadalajara, Mexico, arrived in the Philippines on Sept. 26 and was flagged after authorities received derogatory intelligence.

"An Alert Order was subsequently issued, prompting a thorough examination of the shipment at a warehouse in Pasay City on Oct. 2," the BoC said.

Upon inspection, authorities recovered 73.002 kilograms of methamphetaminechloride, or shabu, hidden in the tubular portions of the machinery.

"Smugglers may change their routes, methods, and concealment techniques, but our resolve remains the same," said BoC Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno. "We will find these illegal shipments, stop them at the border, and work with our partner agencies to hold those responsible accountable."

Separately, anti-narcotics agents arrested seven drug dealers and shut down their clandestine drug dens in separate operations in two towns in Central Mindanao within just two days. The cases involved distinct enforcement efforts: one focused on an international shipment entering through NAIA, while the other targeted alleged local drug distribution in Central Mindanao.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, combined agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM) and operatives from different units of the Maguindanao del Norte Provincial Police Office arrested four men who sold them P105,400 worth of shabu right inside their drug den in Barangay Dalumangcob in Sultan Kudarat.

George Paul P. Alcovindas, director of PDEA-BARMM, told reporters on Monday that the entrapment operation in Barangay Dalumangcob, supported by the Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), was premised on reports from the friends and relatives of the four suspects about their illegal activities in the municipality.

Besides operating the clandestine drug den in Barangay Dalumangcob, the four suspects are also known for circulating shabu and marijuana in Cotabato City and nearby barangays in Cotabato province.

The entrapment operation in Sultan Kudarat was preceded by the arrest on Friday of three shabu dealers who ran a drug den in Barangay Upper Labas in Midsayap, Cotabato, where they also peddled their illegal merchandise in barangays within the Bangsamoro Special Geographic Area in the province.

Mr. Alcovindas said PDEA-BARMM agents, personnel from different PRO-BAR units, the Midsayap Municipal Police Station, and officials of the Army's 33rd Infantry Battalion cooperated in the entrapment operation, which resulted in the immediate detention of the three suspects.

All three were immediately frisked and handcuffed after undercover operatives purchased seven grams of shabu, valued at P47,600, from them during a trade-off in Barangay Upper Labas, laid with the help of municipal officials in Midsayap, one of the 17 towns in Cotabato province. — Justine Irish D. Tabile and John Felix M. Unson