Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation Special Action Unit and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency have arrested a Japanese national allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade late Friday.
The NBI identified the suspect as Takahiro Yano.
Yano, who has been placed under surveillance earlier, was arrested in a raid at the CityState Tower Hotel in Malate, Manila.
Authorities recovered at least 10 sachets of suspected shabu inside a sunglasses case and one sachet inside a canister of sex enhancing pills.
Apart from possession of illegal drugs, the suspect may also be involved in human trafficking because he was allegedly matching some Filipinas with other Japanese men for marriage. Various passports were also recovered from the Japanese national.
In an earlier report, PDEA director-general Isidro Lapeña said 112 foreigners were arrested in the Philippines in 2016 for drug offenses.
Lapeña said at least 33 were arrested during the first semester last year, while 79 were nabbed during the first six months of the Duterte administration.
A great number of the drugs that can be sourced in the country are from abroad, the PDEA official said.
“Foreign nationals were found to be greatly involved in the spread of illegal drugs in the country,” he added.
Among the foreigners apprehended, Chinese nationals topped the list with 44, followed by Taiwanese at 29, and seven Hong Kong nationals and seven Koreans. The rest were other Asians, Americans, Europeans and African nationals.
