Members of the NAIA Interagency Drug Interdiction Task Group seized P35.8 million worth of suspected shabu at the airport’s Terminal 3 on Tuesday night. The contraband was seized from a 35-year-old female South African traveler. (Photo courtesy of PDEG)
S. African traveler yields nearly P36-M shabu
A FEMALE African national was arrested by agents of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Drug Interdiction Task Group for trying to smuggle more than five kilograms of shabu worth nearly P36 million at the NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City last Tuesday evening, officials said yesterday.
The suspect yielded a bag containing some 5,265 grams of shabu valued at P35,802,000, a report from the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group said. Initial reports said she was on her way to Abu Dhabi and just made a stopover in Manila.
PDEG director, Brigadier General Eleazar P. Matta said the accused was the subject of a controlled delivery operation launched by the NAIA-DITG at the NAIA Terminal 3 Arrival Area at around 7:30 p.m.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency headed by Director General Moro Virgilio M. Lazo took custody of the suspect who will be facing non-bailable charges for smuggling of drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Controlled delivery operations aim to identify, arrest, and convict drug offenders, disrupt criminal organizations, and gather evidence, requiring prior authorization and adherence to guidelines for evidence handling.
