Manila, Aug. 20 -- The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) uncovered approximately 43 kilograms of suspected shabu worth PHP292.4 million at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno on Thursday inspected the illegal drugs, concealed in fabric pouches designed to resemble talc stones in a shipment from Afghanistan.

The shipment, consisting of two 20-foot containers, was subjected to a 100 percent physical examination as part of the Bureau's stringent profiling and monitoring of high-risk shipments.

Confirmatory laboratory tests on representative samples subsequently confirmed the presence shabu.

Authorities noted similarities with a previous Afghanistan-...