P25-M shabu seized at NAIA

AIRPORT authorities from the drug interdiction task group seized more than P25-million worth of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu brought by a foreigner on Thursday night.

Bureau of Customs (BoC) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the illicit stuff was smuggled into the country by 27-year-old Mohammad Ahtsham bin Mohammad Afzal, a Malaysian, who arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 aboard Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia.

Officials from the BoC said that Afzal, a family driver in his country, was carrying 3,722 grams of drugs.

SHABU HAUL Anti-narcotics operatives seize more than P25-million worth of shabu on Thursday night, Oct. 13, 2023, from a Malaysian passenger, Mohammad Ahtsham bin Mohammad Afzal, 27, who arrived at NAIA from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The drugs were discovered by airport operatives during an x-ray scanning inspection where the items were found in the luggage. It was wrapped in two improvised pouches with brown packing tape.

Afzal was later brought to the PDEA main office in Quezon City for further investigation.

The involvement of foreigners in drug-related offenses would greatly contribute to the spread of the illegal drug trade in the country if it were not foiled or prevented. A number of them were arrested this year.

Last month, a Singaporean woman and her daughter were detained for smuggling 14.36 kilograms of cocaine worth P76 million into the country.

Both of them arrived at NAIA from Doha, Qatar.

In June 2023, authorities seized over a P55-million worth of crystal meth or shabu during an anti-illegal drug operation at the NAIA and arrested Philip Campbell, a Liberian and a mechanical engineer who arrived on a flight from Doha, Qatar with 13.8 kilos of drugs in his luggage.

According to PDEA, Campbell originally came from Lagos, Nigeria.

A Salvadoran tourist tried to smuggle an estimated P16.5 million worth of cocaine in May this year. The 45-year-old Franco Quintanilla Domingo was arrested upon arrival at NAIA Terminal 3 aboard Qatar Airways after operatives found 3,120 grams of cocaine inside his luggage. He originally came from Brazil.

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