Diazepam, nitrazepam tablets allegedly illegally imported set for destruction

The Philippine National Police (PNP)  on Sunday said over 35,000 tablets of the regulated drugs diazepam and nitrazepam allegedly illegally imported are set for destruction.

PNP chief Police General Debold Sinas gave the order to PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) director Police Brigadier General Ronald Lee.

Sinas told Lee to coordinate with the appropriate judicial authorities and government agencies for the immediate destruction of the drugs.

The 35,343 tablets of the said drugs were turned over by the NAIA-Inter Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group to the PDEG on Friday.

Lee said the parcel turned over to them contained 26,170 tablets of diazepam and 9,173 tablets of nitrazepam and were worth P534,297.16.

He said both drugs are considered highly regulated. These are also included in the 1971 United Nations Single Convention on Psychotropic Substances under Schedule IV, and have addictive properties and characteristics.

The PNP official added that the tablets were seized after it was found there was no license to operate and certificate of product registration from the Food and Drug Administration and import permit from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

The parcel was found at PAIR-PAGS Center in Paranaque City and confiscated by the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

It was shipped from Pakistan by "Muztaza and Brother" and consigned to International Medexchange Depot Inc. of Zamboanga City, Lee said.

The BOC said the parcel was misdeclared as "health care products".

The drugs were turned over by the BOC to PDEA before it was turned over to PDEG. —KG, GMA News