Members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 7, led by C/Insp. Jacob Macabali, went to the warehouse and, with a search warrant issued by Judge Geraldine Faith Econg, opened the boxes in front of the lawyer of the forwarding firm.
There were three boxes actually opened but only two were found to contain the same medicines as those in the other boxes that were seized last Wednesday. The third box was consigned to somebody in Surigao City and contained clothes, shoes, and grocery items.
Intelligence report confirmed the x-ray machine findings that the two boxes contained medicines instead of clothes, shoes and medical supplies, as declared. These were consigned to a certain Rita Apostol of Ormoc City.
The CIDG men got suspicious however when they found out that the contact numbers of Apostol and the consignees of the two boxes, previously seized, were the same.
"Although lain-lain ang pangalan sa consignees, pero iisa lang ang contact numbers. maybe iisa lang talaga itong may-ari," Macabali told The Freeman.
The two boxes were among the four boxes shipped, through the cargo forwarder, by a certain Joey Fernandez of Aragon Street in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
The CIDG men obtained first a search warrant to allow them to inspect the boxes considering that nobody claimed the boxes after the first two were seized three days ago.
The first two boxes seized contained medicines, estimated to be P300,000 in total worth, might be of similar value to the latest two boxes seized.
Last Wednesday evening, the CIDG men invited two people who claimed to represent Joseph Maribao and Nelisa Magdasal-the consignees named in the boxes-to shed light on the matter. The two were later sent home but were directed to return the next morning with the documents of the shipped items. They never did.
In the initial physical examination on the packaging of the medicine, the CIDG and representatives of the Bureau of Food and Drugs believed that the medicines were adulterated medicine and sent these items to a laboratory examination for verification.
BFAD said the shipment also lacked the necessary documents for legal possession of such large volume of medicines. One must have a certificate of product registration, and licenses to operate and distribute the medicines.
Macabali said the CIDG would also ask BFAD to put on lab tests the latest seized medicines to be used in the filing of charges against those liable.
He believed that the medicine were intended for distribution to small drugstores in the countryside where people are not so discriminating about the contents of medicine. - Edwin Ian Melecio