(UPDATED)

A female passenger was arrested by anti-narcotics authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Thursday night, Jan. 9, after she allegedly attempted to smuggle more than P24 million worth of cocaine in the country.

Bureau of Immigration's Anti-Terrorist Group (BI-ATG) head Bienvenido Castillo III identified the suspect as Joy Dagunano Galmatico, 29.

She arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 around 8 p.m. via Ethiopian Airlines from Sierra Leone, West Africa with a connecting flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia bound for Manila.

The BI-ATG said it monitored the "suspicious flight pattern" taken by the suspect, hence, they recommended that she be inspected by members of the NAIA Drug Interdiction Task Group (DITG).

According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), a Bureau of Customs (BOC) x-ray inspector noticed that a baggage belonging to the suspect contained “a suspicious substance” at the x-ray scanning machine.

Personnel of the PDEA Regional Office National Capital Region (RO NCR) subjected the baggage to a K-9 inspection where they discovered 4,574 grams of powdery substance concealed inside the lining of four handbags and a suitcase that later tested positive for cocaine.

The seized drugs were valued at P24,242,200.

Aside from the dangerous drugs, operatives also found cellular phones, travel documents, and identification cards in the baggage.

Charges for violation of Section 4 (importation of dangerous drugs), Article II of Republic Act (RA) 9165 otherwise known as "The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002" await the suspect.

The PDEA noted that the importation of dangerous drugs carries the penalty of life imprisonment and fine ranging from P500,000 to P10,000,000.

Chito Chavez and Ariel Fernandez

Passenger caught with over P24M cocaine at NAIA