P25M worth of ketamine found in 'data cable' package at Clark Airport

A multi-million peso drug shipment disguised as an ordinary delivery of data cable rolls was intercepted after authorities at Clark International Airport found more than five kilos of ketamine concealed inside the package.

Reports showed that the Clark International Airport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (CRK-IADITG) intercepted the parcel on 30 July during a routine inspection at the FedEx warehouse inside the Clark Freeport Zone.

Upon inspection of the box, labeled as “data cable rolls,” officers discovered six plastic bags containing a white crystalline substance.

Field tests confirmed the substance as ketamine, a potent anesthetic that has gained popularity in the party scene under the street name “Special K.”

Further laboratory analysis by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) pegged the total weight at 5,062 grams, with an estimated street value of P25.31 million.

National Bureau of Investigation Director Jaime Santiago said the operation is a clear example of how traffickers are resorting to increasingly deceptive methods.

“But thanks to the vigilance of our task force, this dangerous drug didn’t make it to the streets,” Santiago said.

The successful interdiction was carried out by the CRK-IADITG, composed of agents from the NBI-PAMDO, PDEA, Bureau of Customs (BOC), and Philippine National Police (PNP).

Authorities are tracing the origin and intended destination of the shipment, which highlights the continued use of commercial cargo channels by drug syndicates to smuggle illicit substances.

The PDEA will conduct a confirmatory test on the seized ketamine samples turned over to the agency.

Investigations are ongoing, although no arrests have been announced as of this writing.