Sidebar | The Magnetic Lifters: Recalling Critical Details

Read article: The Drugs That Got Away: Questions Linger on Multibillion-Peso Drug Shipment

Photo from the PDEA Top Stories Facebook page.

THE USE of magnetic lifters to smuggle narcotics is central to this controversy.

Aside from showing photographs of the lifters, media reports also said that the magnetic lifters passed through Customs as cargo from abroad intended for different consignees in the country. The lifters which were opened on August 7 arrived at the port June 28 this year and were consigned to Vecaba Trading International. Meanwhile, the ones in Cavite, which arrived July 11, were consigned to SMYD Trading. Customs cleared them all, but those for Vecaba Trading were deemed abandoned after being unclaimed for almost a month in MICP. In a report, Rappler explained that these are “used to lift scrap metals in collecting trash or transporting metallic goods.”

This description should have served as reference to follow-up reports so that those who are catching up with developments have a clear picture of what is being talked about by the sources. Additionally, there was no explanation of how the lifters can be used for concealment and smuggling of contraband.

The other critical issue and as central to the case is the swab test.

In defending his agency’s competence, Lapeña argued that the swab tests they did on the lifters in Cavite showed negative results even after the K9 unit’s response indicated that they contained illegal drugs. He reiterated this during a House probe on August 14.

But is it an absolute indicator? The PDEA, which is a lead agency on drug issues, maintains that it is not.

In the same House probe, Rep. Gary Alejano (Magdalo party-list) asked if the illegal drugs may evade detection by swab tests. Ruel Lasala, PDEA deputy director general, said that this is possible if the contraband is so tightly wrapped that no residue can fall out of the package.

This detail did not figure much in the reports of the  broadsheets CMFR reviewed (Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star and Manila Bulletin) from August 15 to October 27, save for the Inquirer which included Lasala’s answer in its August 15 report.

Swab tests which were done on the lifters intercepted in MICP, in which drugs were actually found, also yielded negative results. This was pointed out by Aquino during the House probe on August 30. Rappler reported this as a significant piece of information, as did GMA News Online and Business Mirror. Inquirer mentioned it towards the end of its report.

Media should take great care to include such critical details in continuing stories, paying attention to the bits of exchange that help the public better understand the contentious exchange. In tracking the story of the drugs that got away, these details make all the difference in the public’s appreciation of the credibility of the contradictory statements and opposing views presented by different sources. Media should refer to them whenever possible.