PDEA: Smuggling try foiled, British man yields over P22.6-M 'kush' at NAIA
By Chito Chavez
(PDEA PHOTO)
An inbound British passenger was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Thursday night, Aug. 7, for allegedly transporting P22,617,000 worth of marijuana or "kush" during an interdiction operation by the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG).
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), a member of the task group, said that the suspect, alias "Patrick", an arriving passenger from Bangkok, Thailand, was collared at the Customs International Arrival Area, NAIA Terminal 3 around 8:40 p.m.
The PDEA said 35 transparent plastic pouches that contained 15,078 grams of dried leaves suspected to be kush were discovered from the green luggage of the suspect during a routine inspection by the NAIA-IADITG.
Authorities also seized identification documents, a boarding pass, and a cellular phone from the suspect’s possession.
The suspect faces charges for violation of Section 4 (Importation of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act (RA) 9165 or "The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002."
The confiscated drug evidence was forwarded to the PDEA Laboratory Service for examination while the suspect was subjected to inquest proceedings.