AN Ethiopian national who was denied entry into the country on December 24 last year has turned out to be the owner of a baggage which was found containing nearly P19.4 million worth of shabu when examined by authorities Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City.

A report from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency headed by Director General Moro Virgilio M. Lazo showed that the abandoned bag originated from Addis Ababa, the capital and largest city of Ethiopia.

Based on the baggage tag, it belonged to a certain Sara Tabitya, who arrived in the country on December 24, 2022 via flight PR737 but was denied entry by immigration authorities.

The baggage arrived in Manila last December 26, two days after its owner who was discovered to be a passenger of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 644f was denied entry into the country. Philippine authorities are already coordinating with their Ethiopian counterpart the operation to identify and arrest the suspect.

Members of the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group opened the baggage and found that it contained a bundle of clothes, a handbag, a make-up kit, bundle of wrench tools and a figurine which turned out to have an improvised pouch.

The pouch is made up of board and packing tape containing a total of 2,846 grams of shabu worth P19,352,800.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon