MANILA — Authorities arrested a 30-year-old female overseas Filipino worker (OFW) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Thursday night after discovering ₱43.4 million worth of suspected coca!n3 concealed in her luggage.
(Photo courtesy of PDEA)
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said in a statement Friday that the suspect, identified only by the alias “Vane,” works as a domestic helper. She arrived from São Paulo, Brazil, and was bound for Doha, Qatar on a connecting flight at around 7:20 p.m.
Airport authorities conducted a thorough inspection of the suspect’s black luggage, where they uncovered a hidden compartment containing approximately 8.19 kilograms of a white powdery substance believed to be coca!n3.
Also seized during the operation were a Philippine passport, two boarding passes, and a backpack containing a passbook, two mobile phones, assorted foreign currencies, identification cards, bank cards, and cargo-related documents.
All confiscated items were turned over to the PDEA Laboratory Service for forensic examination and proper disposition.
The arrest was carried out through the joint efforts of the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group, composed of the PDEA, Bureau of Customs–Customs Anti-Illegal Drvgs Task Force, Philippine National Police (PNP) Aviation Security Group, Airport Police Department, PNP Drug Enforcement Group, National Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Immigration.
The suspect is now facing charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drvgs Act of 2002.
