A 59-YEAR-OLD Norwegian national was held for questioning after carrying 8.34 kilos of shabu worth P56.7 million intercepted by Ninoy Aquino Drug Interdiction Task Force A Composite team at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, Friday, October 28, 2022.

Customs-NAIA Collector Caremalita Talusan, in a report, said the apprehended passenger was from Norway and arrived early Friday morning at the NAIA T3 from a flight from Dubai.

Talusan said the Interdiction composite team composed of Customs-NAIA, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), PNP-Aviation Group, and Immigration quickly conducted an operation after receiving reliable information from Dubai Intelligence Network that a passenger will be arriving at NAIA T3 carrying prohibited drugs.

PDEA airport chief Gerald Javier coordinated immediately with the airport Interdiction team, which led to the arrest of the foreigner.

An initial report said the illegal drugs concealed in a special compartment of the passenger luggage were first spotted at the Customs x-ray, which led to the discovery of more than 8 kilos of high-grade shabu.

The suspect, who was described as a widowed 59-year-old special psychiatrist from Sarbuvollvelen, Hovik, Norway, was placed under questioning after an x-ray examination at the NAIA Terminal 3 International Arrival Area showed the suspicious cargo inside her luggage.

The recovered prohibited drugs were placed under the custody of the PDEA while charges for trafficking and possession of prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are being readied against the suspect. By Jun I. Legaspi and Alfred Dalizon

AUTHOR PROFILE

Jun I. Legaspi