The Bureau of Customs (BoC) on Tuesday announced the arrest of a South African national at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for attempting to smuggle P42.1 million worth of shabu into the country.
Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio stated that efficient profiling of passengers and X-ray image analysis led to the apprehension of the suspect named Phillip Theunissen upon his arrival at NAIA Terminal 3, onboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 644 from Addis Ababa.
Transnational syndicates and organizations continue to exploit Philippine ports as corridors for smuggling illegal drugs.
Rubio commended his team from the Port of NAIA and the X-Ray Inspection Project for successfully detecting the illegal drugs, which weighed 6.2 kilos.
“Many transnational syndicates and organizations continue to use our ports as corridors to smuggle illegal drugs and disseminate them from Metro Manila to far-flung provinces. Along with many others, our agents are hard at work disrupting these criminal networks,” said Rubio.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Director Verne Enciso elaborated on how the apprehension occurred.
“Our agents immediately became suspicious of the check-in luggage due to the X-ray imaging results. It was marked with an ‘X’ after undergoing K-9 sweeping, which also yielded positive indications,” Enciso explained.
“The luggage was then physically examined, and our agents discovered a white crystalline substance that allegedly resembled methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu. The substance was concealed beneath the passenger’s suitcase,” he added.
Theunissen was promptly detained as an investigation into this latest apprehension of illegal drugs at NAIA commenced.
Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy assured that the agency would work diligently to investigate this operation and prosecute those behind the scheme.
“With President Marcos ordering a crackdown on illegal drug smuggling in the country, we are collaborating with all relevant agencies to ensure these individuals are brought to justice. We will remain vigilant and ensure that our borders are not compromised. Protecting our people and communities remains our primary goal,” Uy stated.
