Government agents on Thursday intercepted a Canadian drug mule who was caught with a baggage containing shabu worth more than P48 million at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
A composite team from the Bureau of Customs, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group arrested the suspect Mary Jane Marais who tried to smuggle the seven kilos of shabu “concealed as Truffle Chocolate Balls inside her check-in baggage.”
Port of NAIA officials said the illegal drugs came from Mexico, and arrived at NAIA Terminal 1 from Narita via Japan Airline Flight No. JAL741.
The passenger’s check-in baggage underwent rigorous screening, including X-ray scanning, K9 inspection, and physical examination resulting in the discovery of 7,150 grams of shabu with an estimated value of P48.6 million.
The seized illegal drugs were turned over to PDEA for custodial investigation and initiation of inquest proceedings for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
On Wednesday, airport authorities also seized a shipment of 1,400 grams of raw ecstasy worth more than P4.94 million at the Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City.
NAIA acting district collector Yasmin Mapa said the parcel, which came from Berchem, Belgium, was claimed by a resident from Las Pinas city, but his identity was temporarily withheld pending further investigation.