Government agents arrested an Indonesian tourist who was caught in possession of smuggled cocaine worth P8.7 million at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport late Wednesday afternoon.
The 62-year-old Agus Burham was intercepted carrying 1.65 kilos of cocaine upon arrival at the NAIA Terminal 3 via Qatar Airways flight QR-932 from Doha at 5:30 p.m.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency agent Herald Javier said the drugs were discovered inside Burhan’s luggage when they conducted random inspection using sniffing dogs on arriving passengers’ luggage at the arrival area.
Javier said Burham traveled to Lima, Peru where he picked up the cocaine from a source, and upon his return from South America, he had a stopover in Madrid, Spain and Doha, Qatar.
When he reached Manila, Burhan was intercepted by NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group while authorities were doing regular random inspection of passengers luggage on Wednesday along with the canines.
Javier added the drugs were also subjected to Bureau of Customs’ X-ray scanning machines.
During interrogation, the suspect said somebody asked him to bring the luggage, which contained gifts, to the Philippines.
The United States Embassy in Manila had commended the NAIA-IADITG for the apprehension of foreign cocaine smugglers at the country’s main gateway.
The US Embassy noted that the NAIA-IADITG was established as part of a cooperative effort between the Philippine government and US Drug Enforcement Agency.
The task force, it said, received training, equipment and other support from the US government.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration was responsible for tipping off government agents in the Philippines about the arrival of these foreigners carrying illegal drugs in Manila.
In November 2017, a tip from the US government resulted in the arrest of a suspected Colombian drug mule who tried to smuggle P8.8 million worth of cocaine at the airport.
The suspect Alberto Pedroza Quijano, 67, who swallowed 79 rubber pellets of cocaine, was arrested at NAIA terminal 3 by IADITG operatives.
Medical personnel took more than 24 hours before they excrete the rubber pellets from the suspect.
Authorities said a drug mule is a type of courier capable of swallowing balloons containing illicit drugs and then transport the illegal drugs across borders.
Once they have reached their destination, these balloons are retrieved from the courier’s body.
They added a drug mule can swallow up to 120 balloons and during their journey, they take medication to inhibit bowel movement.
Once they have reached their destination, they are fed laxatives and the balloons pass through their bodies.
In December 2015, lawmen also arrested a Venezuelan drug mule who was caught with more than a kilogram of cocaine worth P6.6 million he ingested.
