Airports and Customs authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted more than two kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu, worth P15 million concealed inside a package at a private warehouse in Pasay City Wednesday night.
Four individuals were also placed under arrest. They were identified as Casan Osor Rainang of Bautista Street, Quiapo, Manila; Jamal Aminah Tantao of Victoria Store Dahlia Street, Fairview; Alnor Sultan Pundato of Sition Kamunoy Street and Isnairah Durannun Pundato of Capitol Estate Batasan Hills, all in Quezon City.
Investigation showed that the four individuals were the claimants of the brown package at the DHL warehouse in Pasay City. The package arrived in the second week of July and declared as “Sikaflex Sealant” with declared value of US$ 660.00 consigned.
Customs investigators said the package from Mexico was consigned to a certain Mr. James Corpuz of Block 1 Lot 3 Victorian, Fairview in Quezon City.
The arrested suspects were turned over to the Philippine National Police and will be slapped with appropriate criminal charges before the Pasay City prosecutors office while the seized items were submitted to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for proper disposition.
Authorities last month also intercepted a package shipped from Canada containing marijuana worth more than P100,000.
Four vacuum-sealed plastic pouches containing 343 grams of cannabis dried leaves, an illegal substance, was discovered in the parcel upon examination by teams from the Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force, Naia Customs Police and Inter-Agency Task Group at the Central Mail Exchange Center warehouse in Pasay City.
Deandre Travis Johnson Cruz, who was identified as the claimant of the seized parcel, was brought to the Pasay City Hall of Justice for investigation.
Only recently, a Korean national was also caught in possession of 117 grams of marijuana at the Naia Terminal 3.
Suspect Eunho Ahn, 24, was about to board a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Busan, South Korea when members of the Office of Transportation Security led by Judy Anne de Belen found the prohibited drugs concealed in her belly.
The OTS men then inspected the suspect’s luggage and discovered assorted tablets, believed to be ecstasy, a dangerous party drug.
Manila International Airport Authority general manager Eddie Monreal ordered his men to be on alert in and outside the airport against illegal drug trafficking in a bid to discourage international and local drug syndicates from using the Philippines as a transshipment point or dumping ground for their illegal substances.
