BOC-NAIA seizes P28.8-M worth of cocaine brought by Turkish passenger, suspect arrested
A TURKISH national who carried a check-in luggage on board an Emirates flight from Dubai with an estimated P28.8 million worth of suspected powder and liquid cocaine was arrested on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after the Bureau of Customs (BOC) confirmed the presence of illegal drugs during an examination of the luggage.
The physical examination of the suspected luggage at the Customs International Arrival Area in NAIA was conducted by an assigned Customs examiner, together with an on-duty agent from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) and other BOC personnel, while the initial test was done by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio immediately responded to the situation after receiving the report from CIIS Director Verne Enciso. This was based on information received by the NAIA-Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADTG) from Homeland Security.
“After the NAIA-IADTG received the information, immediately we were on the lookout for this person and his luggage. An initial test done on the luggage showed it was positive for the presence of cocaine. The information we received and the quick action we took to stop the contraband’s entry led to the capture of the suspect in this case,” he said.
The seizure of one luggage yielded cocaine in powder form weighing more or less 3,945 grams and a white thick liquid substance that’s more or less 1,500 ml.
It has a current street value estimated at P28,858,500.
The suspect was identified as Kemal Ozenir, a Turkish national who arrived via Emirates flight EK 332 on Tuesday afternoon from Dubai.
Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group Juvymax Uy shared that the suspect is already being investigated by proper authorities.
“This particular seizure underscores how brazen individuals have become to try and bring illegal drugs on board flights. And while it also highlights the bigger battle we have against the dangers of illegal drugs being out there on the streets, it also shows the resolve of our Customs officers in upholding the bureau’s border security mission and deny this smuggling attempt,” he said.
Aside from the arrest of Ozenir, authorities also have with them the confiscated pieces of evidence, such as one brown luggage containing assorted clothes and shoes, one Turkish passport, two boarding passes, one Turkish national ID card, one State of Qatar residency permit ID card, and one mobile phone.
Inside the brown luggage, authorities found 22 pieces of soap labeled Giorno Bagno containing more or less 3,945 grams of white powdery substance and two plastic bottles containing 1,500 ml of white thick liquid substance.
